An individual has been fined more than £3,000 for "invalid train tickets" as c2c recovers £255,000 in prosecution payments since the start of 2024.

South Essex rail operator, Trenitalia c2c, has collected more than £255,000 in lost revenue this year.

This success has been due to the enhancement of its Revenue Protection team and the strategic operations to capture those travelling without a valid ticket.

The large sum of £255,000 was recovered in the first six months of 2024, compared to £317,000 for the whole year in 2023.

After recently expanding the team with a group of new recruits, c2c’s Revenue Protection Officers are serving fare-paying customers, using a data-led approach to crack down on fare evasion.

One noticeable revenue recovery in recent weeks is from an individual who was stopped at West Ham with a short monthly ticket valid between Tilbury Town and Grays.

After a detailed investigation, 13 monthly and 27 weekly short tickets dating back to September 2022 were recovered, amounting to £3,181.50.

Another instance included £2,369 recouped from a passenger who was caught at West Ham with a short ticket valid between Pitsea and Basildon.

The individual had purchased 22 short flexi season tickets but travelled to West Ham and then on the underground. The full sum was paid after the initial recovery letter.

A third individual was fined £1,524 after being stopped and questioned for being in possession of Basildon to Laindon tickets on their Smartcard with no validations at Laindon.

When questioned, the person admitted they worked five days a week and travelled to Fenchurch Street, admitting to avoiding the full fare.

Upon further investigation it was found that the individual had purchased up to 10 months’ worth of tickets between Basildon and Laindon / Upminster but travelled further up to Fenchurch Street.

Iain Palmer, c2c's head of revenue protection and security, said: "Of course, we are very pleased that we have managed to recover such a significant figure in lost revenue.

"Fare evasion is a criminal offence and costs the rail industry millions of pounds every year, while contributing to anti-social behaviour.

"It isn’t fair to the millions of fare-paying customers that use our network that some believe they can circumnavigate the rules and get away with evading the cost.

"We will continue our efforts to target fare evaders, driving down ticketless and fraudulent travel. Please make sure you have the correct ticket for the full duration of your journey."