TRAIN fare dodgers from Worcestershire have been named and shamed and in some cases have been ordered to pay more than 90 times what their tickets would have cost.

Six people were caught without a valid ticket and were ordered to pay a total of £1,066.90 in costs, fines and compensation.

The cost of the original fares, between them, would have come to just £16.90. The journeys ranged from Worcester to Droitwich to a longer trip from Worcester to Kidderminster.

Worcester Magistrates handed out the penalties in the absence of all the accused on Wednesday. They each had to pay £75 in fines as well as £100 court costs. They were then ordered to pay compensation to the value of the train ticket for their journey.

l Victoria Evans, aged 25, of Nunnery Avenue, Droitwich, was ordered to pay £1.90 compensation for a journey from Worcester to Droitwich in November last year.

l Sherree Harding, aged 25, of Avon Road, Worcester, was ordered to pay £1.90 for a journey on the same route on December 23.

l Kelly Harkins, aged 20, of Woodlands, Evesham, had to pay the £2 fare for a trip on the same route on January 9.

l Robert Osuwu, aged 21, of The Pippins, Eckington, was ordered to pay the £2.90 fare for a trip from Great Malvern to Worcester on December 12.

l Melissa Painter, aged 19, of Lorne Grove, Kidderminster, had to eventually pay the £4 fare for a journey from Worcester to Kidderminster on January 25.

l David Ventura, aged 20, of Lyndhurst Drive, Kidderminster, was ordered to pay the £4.20 for an unknown trip on January 3.

The names of all offenders will be listed on posters and displayed at stations around Birmingham. The naming and shaming is part of Central Trains' efforts to encourage people to pay for their journey.

Its 'Don't be a loser - buy a ticket campaign', was launched in March last year and to date has seen £374,322 collected in fines, compensation and costs and almost 1,800 people convicted.

It seems to be working as the firm has recorded a dramatic fall in the number of people travelling around the West Midlands without a ticket, from six per cent to three per cent.

Tony Brown, Director of West Midlands services at Central Trains, said: "This may be a hot summer, but there was no ray of sunshine for people who thought they could get away without a valid ticket on our trains.

"They should understand that we remain committed to pursuing passengers who do not pay their fare. Our message is simple - don't be a loser, buy a ticket."