NEW measures to prevent rail passengers travelling by train without a ticket are to come in to force later this month.

Penalty fines of £20 are already issued on the spot to anyone found on a carriage without a ticket, with some exemptions at small stations without proper facilities.

But from June 15, stations previously excluded from the rule, including Bache, Capenhurst, Ellesmere Port, Little Sutton and Overpool, will have new ticket machines and information points installed.

From that date the existing penalty fare scheme will be extended across the entire Merseyrail network.

And the company is also putting an end to the practice of buying tickets from a guard once on board.

The message is clear, they say buy before you ride.

Any passenger who is found travelling without a valid ticket for their entire journey is liable to be issued with a fine of £20 by Merseyrail ticket inspectors, plus the cost of the fare to the destination station.

The money collected through penalty charges will be reinvested into further security measures such as CCTV.