DRIVERS on Britain’s worst-performing railway sensationally rejected a deal with bosses over driver-only operation yesterday.

In talks brokered by the TUC last month, negotiators for drivers’ union Aslef came to a compromise with Southern rail on the long-running dispute over guard staffing.

But Aslef announced yesterday that drivers had voted to dump the deal by 54.1 per cent to 45.9 per cent. Turnout was 72.7 per cent.