Fair play, the woman in the seat got up fairly sharpish to evacuate it but her friend protested saying that 'you can't be expected to stand all the way to London ([rom Cheshire]'. Presumably I could stand instead even though the seat was booked in my name weeks ago .
The train was so overcrowded in standard class they actually declassified the seats and all reservations were declared void just after I'd taken my seat. I half expected the second woman to ask me to leave the seat in favour of her friend again on account of this!!!!!!!!!!!