Thirty-seven people were caught red-handed trying to board trains without having a ticket yesterday.

The fare dodgers were caught out during a police operation involving 15 officers and a sniffer dog at Turkey Street railway station.

British Transport Police joined forces with Safer Neighbourhood Teams and revenue inspectors in a bid to catch fare evaders at the station which has no barriers.

Within just one hour they had given 25 people on the spot £20 fines for failing to have a ticket and following the four hour long operation, they had given 16 people a summons to court for fare evasion.

The team also made one arrest for drugs possession and arrested another who was wanted for harassment. Two others were also given £80 fines for carrying drugs.

The sniffer dog helped catch one 18-year-old man who admitted to having cannabis down his trousers.

Turkey Street Safer Neighbourhood ward Sergeant Craig Kimberley said: “A lot of people spend thousands of pounds on travel and it’s not fair that others are getting away with not paying. We’re actively targeting people who try to get away with this.”

The station is also used as an escape route for thieves operating in the area but Sergeant Kimberley said his Safer Neighbourhood Team are regularly basing themselves near to the area to prevent this.

He said: “We find that some people who don’t live in the area will do crime and then hop on a train. My team tries to come down to the station as much as possible – it’s good for residents and prevents crime coming into the ward.

“Over the six years I’ve been on the team I’ve seen the crime rate drop. And, in the last year my team has helped make more than 200 arrests.”