A REGULAR train user in Worcester has said he is disgusted at the number of fare dodgers he regularly sees on his journey.

Steve Williams, of Tolladine Road, travels from Worcester to Birmingham New Street daily to his job in the centre of the city.

But the 28-year-old, who pays £80 a month for a season ticket, says people are getting away with not paying.

"I cannot get away with not paying this fee due to the barrier at Birmingham New Street. However, people, the same faces, can get away without paying a fee due to the poor security at the stations in between the destinations.

"Conductors just ask to see tickets if people are holding them. They do not personally go up to individuals and ask them to produce the tickets for inspection."

Mr Williams said he gets frustrated that he has to pay so much while other people manage to dodge the fares by getting off at Droitwich or Bromsgrove where they are not monitored.

"I have worked in Birmingham for a year and have reported the problem on two different occasions.

"On both occasions Central Trains added penalty fair inspectors for one week and they hoped it would resolve the issue. However, it didn't even make a dent into the number of times the individuals have avoided paying for a ticket."

He said he was sure if these people were caught and fined £20 on both the outgoing and return journey, they would think again - and Central Trains would also see a large increase in its profits.

A spokesman for Central Trains said it was making a big effort to stop this happening and now has more people checking tickets and extra people at the barriers.

He said: "We also have the name-and-shame campaign and the number of fare dodgers is a fraction of what it used to be.

"However, if there is a train that seems to have more problems then others we will look into it."

Latest data from passenger executive Centro revealed only two per cent of passengers in the West Midlands fare-dodge, compared with five per cent two years ago.

It analysed the income compared with the number of passengers to come up with the data.

The name-and-shame campaign is asking people to call customer relations on 0121 654 2040 if passengers spot fare dodgers.

The maximum fine people can be hit with for not buying tickets is £1,000.