A DISTRESSED friend rang me last week to say she had been bullied by a member of staff near the exit of Preston station.

He accused her of leaving the station without attempting to buy a ticket, while she claims this conversation was inside the station.

My friend claimed she tried to buy a ticket at her departure station but was running late so boarded the train and, as there was no conductor, she was trying to buy one at Preston — something she had done previously without a problem — before the confront-ation.

Fare dodging is wrong. Do it enough and you will be fined — and rightly so.

But, for genuine passengers like my friend who are unfairly accused due to an unfortunate sequence of events, the law can be on your side.

Rules say rail firms must reasonably help passengers board trains, so, if queues are longer than five minutes at peak times or three means at off-peak times, a staff member should let you board, though it is wise to note their name.

You can then either pay the train conductor or, if there isn’t one, pay at your end station.

If threatened with a fine at your end station, ask the member of staff to prove they are an ‘authorised collector’ with authority to issue a fine, as the Penalty Fares Rules 2002 says they must be.

If they are, insist (politely) on paying just the normal fare, as section 8 of the Penalty Fares Rules 2002 says you can.

Should they give you a penalty form, check it has their name on and is accurate. Inaccuracy can invalidate the form.

If you get notification of the fine in the post, politely reply tou are refusing to pay, explaining why you were unable to buy a ticket and that you did eventually pay — or try to pay — the normal fare.

In most cases, that will be the end of it.

Train companies may refer to you ‘getting a criminal record’ but that is a red herring, as any proceedings would be civil as you have previously attempted to pay the fare.

However, industry experts say train firms would be extremely unlikely to take the matter to court.

After all, if they lost, it might cast light on to the many occasions when people have coughed up and maybe should not have.