TRAIN fare dodgers from Kidderminster were among people to be named and shamed and ordered to pay up by magistrates.

Melissa Painter, 19, of Lorne Grove, Kidderminster and David Ventura, 20, of Lyndhurst Drive, Kidderminster both had to pay £75 in fines, as well as £100 court costs.

The sentence followed hearings in the absence of all the accused at Worcester magistrates' court on Wednesday last week.

Painter had to eventually pay her £4 fare for a journey from Worcester to Kidderminster on January 25.

Ventura was ordered to pay the £4.20 for an unknown trip on January 3.

The combined costs of the tickets the six accused failed to pay would have amounted to £16.90 but the overall tally of the costs, fines and compensation totalled £1,066.90.

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 journeys.

Its "Don't be a loser - buy a ticket" campaign was launched in March last year and has, so far, led to £374,322 being collected in fines, compensation and costs and the conviction of almost 1,800 people.

There has also been a dramatic fall - from six per cent to three per cent - in the number of people travelling around the West Midlands without a ticket.

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."