TWO high schools in Cheshire have been placed ‘on report’ by a train operator due to students ‘repeatedly fare dodging’ on its services.

Wade Deacon High School in Widnes and Wilmslow High School in Wilmslow are two of five North West secondary schools to be ‘named and shamed’ by Northern for fare evasion.

The Birchfield Road school is on the rail firm’s ‘top five’ list for students caught boarding services without having a valid ticket.

Northern says it is now working with the schools highlighted in the list to urge parents to buy an existing, widely popular and heavily discounted educational season ticket.

This can offer up to 75 per cent off when schools return in September, rather than parents giving their child money for the fare – which some students decide to pocket and take the risk of travelling without a ticket.

Northern’s top five schools for student fare evaders are Wade Deacon, Rainhill High School, Honley High School in west Yorkshire, Wilmslow High School and Turton School in Bolton.

Many fare evasion incidents occurred when students were travelling relatively short distances between rural and suburban stations, which are not barrier controlled.

Given the high number of students on board and the limited journey time, conductors cannot always carry out a full ticket inspection, which emboldens students to ‘risk it’.

Northern is now deploying revenue protection teams to undertake random ticket checks to tackle the problem.

Commenting on the decision to name the schools, Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Everyone has a responsibility to buy a ticket before they travel.

“Unfortunately, some students think that rule does not apply to them, and they routinely fare evade on our services.

“It is important they know that fare evading is a criminal act, and in the future they could end up with a criminal record for the sake of paying the heavily discounted student fare.

“With the end of the school year almost upon us, we are urging parents from September not to give their child money with the hope they will buy a ticket, but to save money by ensuring their child has a ticket by buying it for a cheaper rate in advance.”