The Mayor of Watford says the council has received all the money it put into the aborted Met Line extension scheme.

Peter Taylor says Transport for London (TfL) has paid Watford Borough Council the £2.3m the council committed back in 2015 - adding he continues to look for alternative schemes that could run on the Croxley Rail Link.

The Met Line Extension (MLX) was a proposed extension of the Metropolitan tube line to Watford Junction which would have run via Vicarage Road.

But despite Watford MP Richard Harrington offering a £73m shortfall for the project, last year the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said TfL would not be supporting the project and the scheme was stopped.

Responding to a letter published in last week's Observer about MLX, Mr Taylor said: "It is my job to champion the interests of our town. I was bitterly disappointed with the decision by the London Mayor’s decision to pull the plug on the Metropolitan Line’s extension to Watford Junction. This decision was made despite the fact that the scheme was fully funded.

"When I was elected, I made it clear that I would do all I could to get the unspent money from the scheme back to our town and fight for an alternative scheme to be delivered.

"Last month, the full amount of £2.3 million was returned to the council. As well as this, we have commissioned a study with Hertfordshire County Council and TfL to look at alternative schemes that could run on the Croxley Rail Link.

"The extension of the Metropolitan Line is a major strategic transport project that was championed by Dorothy Thornhill when she was mayor. It would serve our hospital, our football ground, West Watford and our business parks. The scheme would have delivered millions of pounds into our local economy, provide new local jobs and provide a critical east-west link.

"I will continue to do all I can to fight for our town, improve our transport infrastructure and deliver an alternative that will be a huge benefit to everyone who travels in Watford."