A MAN from Burnham-on-Sea has been slapped with an £800 court bill for travelling on the railway without a ticket – but his journey should have cost less than £5.

Benjamin Edward Robinson, of Oxford Street, was caught on a Great Western Railway (GWR) service at Highbridge & Burnham station on July 23.

Court documents say Robinson, 31, travelled “without having previously paid your fare of £4.80 and with intent to avoid payment thereof”.

He was proved guilty in his absence at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on December 1.

Robinson was fined £440 and told to pay £4.48 in compensation to GWR.

He must also pay £180 in court costs and a £176 surcharge to fund victim services.

He has until January 8, 2024, to pay his £800.80 court bill.

A notice on the GWR website says: “At stations that are staffed or have ticket machines, you must pay for your journey before boarding your train; please make sure you arrive in plenty of time.

“Where a station isn’t staffed, or the ticket machines aren’t working, you must pay for your journey at your earliest opportunity; either onboard or at the first available station.”