SICK of endless train delays, but never got time to fight for a ticket refund? A new phone app could be the answer to your prayers.

Gavin Davies and Mark Mainwood have created Train Refunds to help passengers in need after nightmare journeys.

The pair have been travelling by train to London for more than a decade and experienced countless rush-hour delays.

But often by the time they have got round to filling out a claim form, it has been too late to get a refund. Train Refunds should put an end to the palaver – and it only costs 69p to download the app.

Mr Davies, who commutes from Barwell Way, Witham, said: “We know we’re going to make quite a lot of enemies with this, but we’re not doing anything underhand.

“All the information we use is public information – it’s just all in one place.

“We know the problems associated with claiming refunds.

You have to note the date, which train you were on, what times you got on and what time you got off.

“Quite often, it just slips your mind.”

The app sends the registered season ticket holder a notification when they are entitled to either a part or full refund, by tracking which journey is being taken.

It uses live timetable information to determine how late a specific train is.

The app even completes the paperwork for each refund application.

The app will initially cover 12 UK franchises, including Greater Anglia – which manages the north Essex to London line – and c2c, which runs from Southend to the capital.

Mr Davies, 35, who works in sales, said he and Mr Mainwood, 42, of London Road, Colchester, decided to develop the app after frequently arriving to work late.

It has often meant having to work later in the evening to make up time.

He added: “With price rises already in effect for 2014, the commuter’s budget is being stretched even further, so it’s time we stood together and claimed for all our delays.

“The money claimed back can help alleviate any stresses caused by the price rises.

“In my business, if I had a client who paid £5,000 a year, I would consider them a very important client – train companies should be the same.

“The more commuters who claim, the more the train companies will have to listen and provide the service we expect for the money we pay.”

The app is launched next Monday, initially on Apple and Android devices.

Mr Mainwood, the technical brains behind Train Refunds, was also behind Colchester Zoo’s Stand Tall app – created for the attraction’s 50th anniversary celebrations over the summer.