East Midlands Railway phone battery warning over e-tickets

Passengers are being warned to check they have sufficient battery power on their phones

A railway company has warned travellers to check they have sufficient battery power in their phones if they plan to use e-tickets and railcards.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) said passengers who failed to present their ticket could be liable for a £100 penalty.

It added staff on ticket gates had chargers but charging customers' phones could lead to them being delayed.

EMR said there might be a legitimate reason why customers' phones were flat.

However, it added conductors had no means of distinguishing such passengers from those attempting to evade fares.

It said most EMR trains provided access for customers to charge phones but if no charger was available, staff would have "no option" but to issue the national penalty fare, which has recently increased to £100.

Neil Grabham, EMR's customer services director, said: "Customers not only have a duty to buy a ticket before they board one of our trains - but also they must be able to present it for inspection.

"Some fraudulent travellers think they can avoid paying for an e-ticket by pretending they bought one and then informing EMR staff that their phone has no charge when challenged.

"This excuse won't work and if the phone cannot be charged, EMR enforcement officers will issue penalty fares."