MORE than 30 passengers convicted of fare evasion on Connex trains have paid a high price for their illicit journeys.

The 33 people have been fined a total of £22,380 and ordered to pay costs and compensation of £25,910 at courts in Kent, central and south-east London, in the past month.

The cases were brought by the company's prosecutions office as part of its continuing crackdown on fare evasion and fraudulent travel, which costs the company an estimated £30m a year.

Connex's recent week-long Everybody Pays the Price project, which targeted cheats at stations across the entire network, was highly successful.

Using uniformed and plain-clothed inspectors, more than 1,500 penalty fares were issued and 150 people were left facing prosecution.

Managing director Olivier Brousse said: “We are delighted with the success of the project. We know 95 per cent of disorder on trains and stations comes from ticket-less travellers. Protecting revenue is, therefore, the best way to improve security.

“The extra £250,000 we raised is all being invested in train cleaning equipment; the money is being invested in the network for the benefit of customers.”

Passengers who deliberately avoid paying the correct fare for journeys can face a fine of up to £1,000 or three months imprisonment.