By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 13:06 BST, 24 June 2019 | Updated: 19:55 BST, 24 June 2019
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BBC star Emily Maitlis has been blasted by rail passengers for letting her whippet Moody enjoy a sleep on a seat next to her as she travelled back to London from the West Country.
The Newsnight host, 48, has upset travellers who saw and photographed the pair arriving into London Paddington from Cornwall yesterday afternoon.
Great Western Railway, who ran the service starting in Penzance on Sunday, have said pets are allowed on their trains - but must not be on the seats.
Critics have said the train's guard or ticket inspector should have intervened.
Ms Maitlis, who chaired the BBC's controversial Tory leadership debate last Tuesday, has denied claims that Moody having some sleep prevented other passengers sitting down.
She said: 'There was no one without a seat looking to sit down. The dog was under the table for the first three hours of the journey whilst four people sat down at it.
'He came on to the seat for the last 17 minutes of the journey when the seat next to me became free.'
A source close to the presenter told MailOnline 'there was plenty of space' on the train and pointed out that the photograph taken by a disgruntled passenger shows a person behind her sleeping across two seats with her feet up.
Emily Maitlis works on a train from Cornwall to London yesterday with her whippet having a snooze on the seat next to her, which has upset others on board
