GEORGE the station cat has said a big 'thank mew' to all those who voted in today's nail-biting World Cup of Stations competition on Twitter after Stourbridge Junction was named the winner.

The news was announced on the Twitter account of the famous feline, who has the title of chief mouse catcher at the railway station, after a tense day of tweeting and sharing posts for those who follow him on social media.

It looked at one point as if the Glaswegians were once again going to take the top title in the rail industry's annual celebration of UK train stations as Glasgow Central, the closest finalist, started wracking up the votes this afternoon, in similar style to last year's competition which was won by Glasgow Queen Street at the last minute and by a cat's whisker of a lead of just 0.3 per cent.

However, victory has finally gone to George and the team at Stourbridge Junction who have amassed a huge following on Twitter thanks to the cheery messages they tweet out daily reminding cat lovers and commuters to be kind and stay positive.

The Rail Delivery Group, which runs the annual contest, said: "In one of the most nail-biting finishes we’ve had, Stourbridge Junction – with a little help from @TheStourbridge and #CatsOfTwitter – is finally crowned #WorldCupOfStations Trophy champion 2021. Valiant Glasgow Central, after leading for the last hour, takes the runner-up spot."

Stourbridge Junction won 43.3 per cent of the vote to Glasgow Central's 40.9 per cent.

In a very grateful post shared after the competition closed at 6pm, George and the Stourbridge Junction team said: "To every single one of you who supported us and retweeted and supported us. THANK YOU from the tip of my nose to the end of my tail- you are all wonderful. We are all so happy."

Aviemore and St Ives stations were also in the final, but were left trailing behind with 7.3 and 8.4 per cent of the vote.