A Birmingham MP has thanked The Bolton News for uncovering a "scandal" involving Northern rail.

An investigation by The Bolton News uncovered that young passengers had been prosecuted by rail operator Northern for using discounted "anytime" tickets before 10am.

One such passenger, Cerys Piper, from Westhoughton, didn’t even know she had been taken to court and fined more than £400 after she received a £1.60 Railcard discount for her ticket from Daisy Hill to Wigan.

Other passengers affected included a 26-year-old man who was fined £462.30 for a £1.44 saving on a journey from Prescot to Liverpool.

The source of the problem is a term and condition of 16-25 and 26-30 Railcards – which give a one-third discount on most train tickets – that says they cannot be used to discount flexible "Anytime" or "Off Peak" tickets below the value of £12 before 10am on most weekdays.

However, this restriction is not printed on tickets or displayed on Northern’s own app, which says "Anytime" tickets can be used to "travel any time of day".

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Now, Birmingham MP Ayoub Khan has tabled four written questions in Parliament to ask the transport secretary to assess the situation – and to find out how many such prosecutions have taken place.

Rail operator Northern was brought under government control in March 2020 after years of disruption under previous owners Arriva.

Ayoub Khan, independent MP for Birmingham, Perry Barr, said: “I am grateful to the Bolton News for first bringing this to my attention and that of the wider public via the power of X and social media.

“This is a scandal that must be addressed, which is why I have called on the government to urgently investigate this matter.”

The MP is also due to file an "Early Day Motion" in the House of Commons noting ‘concern’ over the private prosuections.

In the motion, the MP says that the £12 minimum fare requirement is “obscured within the small print, leading to seeming widespread consumer confusion and inadvertent fare evasion".

Birmingham MP Ayoub Khan has thanked the Bolton NewsBirmingham MP Ayoub Khan has thanked The Bolton News (Image: UK Parliament, Creative Commons CC-BY-3.0)

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Another MP who has taken the fight to Northern is Gill Furniss.

The Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough has sent a letter to Northern’s managing director Tricia Williams.

In the letter, the MP says: “I do not believe that pursuing people for hundreds of pounds in fines and court costs, while tarnishing them with a criminal conviction for life over a maximum £4 saving is in the public interest; nor do I believe complies with the requirement these fines are issued for good reason.”

Borough MP Phil Brickell also said he would be writing to Northern with his concerns.

The Bolton West MP said: “Rail ticketing is far too complicated and I share the view that it often seems designed to catch passengers out.

“I know that the Department for Transport are aware following The Bolton News investigation and the Secretary of State shares the concerns.

“I will be writing to Northern to make them aware of my personal interest in rectifying the situation.”

Yesterday (Wednesday, October 9), the Department for Transport (DfT) said it had asked Northern to ‘urgently’ review the cases.

A DfT spokesperson said: “Ticketing has become far too complicated, which is why we have committed to simplifying it for customers, as part of the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation.

"We expect Northern to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times and have instructed the operator to review the details of these cases urgently.”

Also yesterday, a Northern spokesperson said: “As with all train operators across the UK, everyone has a duty to buy a valid ticket or obtain a ‘promise to pay’ voucher before they board the train and be able to present it to the conductor or revenue protection officer during a ticket inspection.

“The overwhelming majority of our customers – upwards of 96 per cent - do just that.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.