The parish council put out a call for the petition to be supported on its social media page, writing:  “We are all disappointed to hear that Richard Bunce, our wonderful Horsley Station Master, and his dog George, are leaving the station due to SWR regulations on ‘no dogs allowed at work’.”

The petition similarly praised Mr Bunce for the “clean, tidy and friendly” upkeep of the station which had been a “labour of love for him”.

Mr Bunce first started taking George into work several years ago, because he worked there alone during the day and appreciated the company. 

Commuters at the station soon took a shine to the dog, who spends most of his time sitting in the ticket office, and some began bringing him treats, but SWR soon contacted him to let him know he could no longer bring George to work.

Mr Bunce told the news website: “I have to leave the position because there isn’t a cost-effective way of doing it.”

There was, however, the possibility of a reprieve on Friday after SWR indicated that it was considering whether to make an exception for Mr Bunce and George.

A spokesman for the rail company said: “While we don’t allow dogs to be brought into workplaces across our network, we recognise the strength of feeling in Horsley and are looking into the individual circumstances of this case.”