READERS are unsympathetic towards fare dodgers who failed to buy train tickets and have been left with hefty court bills.

It was revealed that in some cases passengers were told to pay more than 10 times the original fare for short journey.

On-the-spot penalties, which are either £20 or double the cost of a single fare for the journey taken (whichever is the greater), are being enforced on-board trains and at destination stations by the industry’s authorised collectors.

Luke Higgins said: "No sympathy for anyone who doesn't have a ticket and refuses to pay, deserve everything they get.

"There are instances though where the pre purchase machines are frequently down at non manned stations, Dalton being a prime example.

"I've had a number of occasions where I've pre purchased a ticket online, gone to print it out at Dalton on the machine and it's broken. You are relying then on your email as proof of purchase and hoping the guard will be reasonable about that.

"Equally, when Northern cancel services you are entitled to a full refund and their delay repay scheme is unreliable to say the least. It took me over a month to get £7.55 refunded on a cancelled service and I had to fight tooth and nail for it, ringing up several times. That is also unacceptable when you pay for a service in advance and it isn't provided.

"Happens all too often with Northern unfortunately."

Lee Thompson said: "Well you should pay the fare. There stealing a service that everyone else manages to pay, no-one but themselves to blame."

Andrew Mcbride said: "Trains are robbery, costs me more to travel up from London than it does to fly to Spain."

Antöny Statham said: "They are thieves at the end of the day."

Anthony Perkins said: "Serves you right, should've bought a ticket before you boarded, it's a legal requirement."

Tom Freeman Stewart said: "A lot of smaller stations don't even have a place tickets can be printed.

"Tickets can and always were able to be purchased from inside your carriage. If they are that bothered hire better conductors or use a tube like ticket gate system for all boarding the train or provide ticket machines in the carriage porches. "