RAIL travellers from as far afield as America and Australia have joined Wiltshire travellers in buying more than £1 million of tickets via First Great Western's website in its first seven months.

The most popular journeys booked through the website involve travel to or from London Paddington.

More than 300 customers from the USA have registered to use the site, with almost 200 tickets sold.

First Great Western's e-commerce manager Tim Hayne said: "Breaking through the £1 million barrier shows how popular online sales have become in such a short space of time.

"While the website has been consistently well-used since its launch by customers seeking information on, for example, train times and on-board services, online ticket sales have provided another reason for people to visit www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk."

Tickets bought on the Internet can either be posted to customers or, for those travelling immediately, can be collected from automated machines at key stations.

While most website customers have made a handful of purchases, two customers have bought more than 50 tickets each, the equivalent of around two tickets a week. Those travelling regularly may benefit from buying a season ticket allowing unlimited travel.