East Midlands Railway which serves Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough recovers nearly £2 million from fare dodgers

During this period, its revenue protection officers and onboard staff issued 11,798 notices, returning a combined total of £1,912,887.

The notices were issued for several reasons, including travelling without a valid ticket, travelling with a child ticket as an adult, travelling without a valid railcard and travelling beyond the destination printed on a ticket.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: "The vast majority of customers do the right thing and pay for their travel – they understand that a fair and sustainable railway relies on everyone contributing.

"Unfortunately, a small number continue to try and travel without paying.

"The impact of fare evasion is felt by our law-abiding, fare-paying customers and, ultimately, the taxpayer.

"It's indefensible for certain individuals to believe they’re exempt from paying for our services.

"Put simply, fare evasion is a criminal offence, and we’re committed to taking action against those who deliberately avoid paying.

"Indeed, our revenue protection, fraud and security teams work both in uniform and plain clothes in order to monitor and catch fare evaders – whether they are travelling without a ticket, have a ticket for part of their journey, or are fraudulently travelling on a child’s ticket."

Customers should buy their ticket from the ticket office, a ticket machine or online.

If they are using pay-as-you-go or a smartcard ticket, they should ensure they touch in to start their journey as required.

If the ticket office is closed, customers will be able to buy a ticket from a machine or online before they board a train.

Customers who travel on East Midlands Railway (EMR) without a valid ticket can be fined £100, in addition to the price of a single ticket.

East Midlands Railway provides more than 450 train services per day, including fast Intercity services between South Yorkshire, the East Midlands, and the iconic London St Pancras International as well as regional services linking towns and cities across England.

EMR Connect is an all-electric service providing frequent commuter style services between London, Luton, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby.