COMMUNITY groups are supporting News Shopper's campaign to back Greenwich Council's bid for a Crossrail station at Woolwich.

They say with south-east London only having tube stations at New Cross Gate and North Greenwich, a Crossrail station at Woolwich will make accessing the capital easier.

Council and business chiefs are still considering ways to reduce the costs of the £186m station before they put their case before Government early next year.

Residents' associations across the north and south of the borough back our campaign.

East Greenwich Triangle Residents' Association chairman Swaleh Bocus said: "We are in favour of Crossrail.

"It'll be good. If there was a better link between London and Woolwich, it would be very helpful to ease the congestion in the Blackwall Tunnel. We should look ahead and embrace the 21st Century."

Old Page Estate residents' association secretary Judy Smith said: "We are thoroughly in support of the project.

"If you can get a bus, which will then pick up Crossrail, it will have considerable potential for our residents.

"The current problem is we don't have a Tube service so we are dependent on a rail service which stops in the middle of London and have to make lots of changes."

Eltham Park Residents' Association chairman Terry Powley said: "We are in favour of Crossrail. We support anything which increases our connections and accessibility to central London and west London.

"We also support the regeneration in the north of the borough which will have knock-on effects for the whole of the borough."

Normanhurst Residents' Association vice-chairman Ron White said: "Crossrail will form the nucleus of regeneration in Woolwich.

"It will complement the Kidbrooke Vision development and will become an important transport hub. Without a Tube station, Crossrail is a must."