A MAN says he will only use trains as a 'last resort' to get to work after he was fined for not having a ticket.

Anthony Davies told Worcester Magistrates Court that he did not have enough cash to pay the £20 penalty when it was handed to him by a train conductor, while he was travelling to the city.

Mr Davies, of Clydesdale Close, Droitwich, pleaded guilty to not having a valid ticket on Thursday and was ordered to pay the fine, along with £3.20 in compensation, a £30 victim surcharge and £125 in court costs.

Speaking after the hearing he said: "I will be sticking clear of trains in the future. It will be my last resort mode of getting to work. I can get the bus.

"It's my own fault for getting on the train without a ticket. [However] it seems a bit extreme.

"I was told it was a £20 on the spot fine. All I had was £5 for my fare.

"On that day they weren't allowing tickets to be bought on the train. I try to get the ticket beforehand but the facility is there to buy on the train.

"I've done it since, when there's been a queue at the machine."

The 37-year-old was fined on a train from Droitwich Spa to Worcester Foregate Street on June 29.

He told the court he gave the conductor his details and received a letter in relation to the fine in November.

During the court hearing, he said: "The first correspondence I got was this letter saying I've missed two court dates, so I got in contact straight away.

"I wasn't trying to avoid it. I had every intention to pay."

Explaining his reason for not buying a ticket, he told the magistrates: "I was late getting to the station and saw the train was already there. I didn't want to be late for work."

He told the Worcester News that some passengers give conductors bogus details, however he was not one of them.

West Midlands Trains, which launched the prosecution, said fines are issued in line company policy, which can be found at www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/tickets-fares/penalty-fares