Commuters travelling from Bristol to London at peak times will see their rail fares go up from January.

First Great Western has announced a "mixed bag" of fare changes for the new year, with some prices going up, some going down and others staying the same.

The average journey is set to go up by 0.9 per cent from 2010, the lowest increase since privatisation.

But while regulated services will drop by an average 0.4 per cent, unregulated services are due to go up by an average of 3.5 per cent.

Regulated services include local journeys, off peak returns and standard season tickets.

Unregulated journeys include tickets for high speed trains, cheap day returns and long distance journeys.

This has led to accusations of rail operators across the country hiding the truth about increases by focusing on one set of figures rather than the other.

First Great Western says that 86 per cent of its customers will either see a reduction or no change in the cost of their tickets.

The remaining 14 per cent are people who use discretionary or first class fares, according to the company.

From January, a peak time return ticket from Temple Meads to London Paddington will cost £159, a 3.9 per cent increase on the current £153.

But off peak, the ticket will cost the same, at £59.59.

A peak time journey from Temple Meads to Plymouth will stay the same at £54.20, while the off peak ticket will see a 30p drop from £46 to £45.70.

And a ticket from Temple Meads to Exeter will remain at £26.50 during peak time, but will drop by 10p to £22.40 off peak.

First class season tickets are set to increase by 3.6 per cent while standard season tickets are expected to stay the same.

National figures showing an average of 1.1 per cent ticket increases were announced by the Association of Train Operating Companies yesterday, followed by the local figures from First Great Western.

Campaign for Better Transport director Richard Hebditch said: "The truth is that the prices of most fares have been rising steeper than inflation over the past five years, since the government decided to reverse their previous policy of keeping regulated fare rises below the rate of inflation in 2003. This year it happens that the inflation rate used to set fares means that prices will fall, but this ignores the hundreds of pounds extra that regular rail commuters have had to pay over the last five years.

"And it seems that ATOC are hiding price increases in unregulated fares behind this year's small fall in the price of regulated fares."

First Great Western spokesman Dan Payne said: "This will be the lowest January increase we've seen since the start of the franchise.

"It's a bit of a mixed bag, but 86 per cent of customers will see no change or a reduction of fares.

"At peak time they are very busy services so people will pay a premium.

"We are trying to encourage people to use off-peak services.

"We have to strike a balance."