Fare dodgers left court more than £12,000 worse off after Greater Anglia prosecuted people caught riding trains in Essex without tickets.

A total of 68 people were prosecuted at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Monday 7 January, after they were caught without tickets on Greater Anglia trains on the Southend Victoria line.

Magistrates imposed fines of £7,782 and costs of £5,000 on 68 people who were accused of fare evasion. One defendant was given a 12-month Community Order, which included 250 hours of unpaid work.

Two of Greater Anglia’s brand new trains are expected to be out on night time test runs in the next couple of weeks – so road-users in Norfolk are warned to remain vigilant at level crossings in the early hours when they’re not used to trains operating.

Greater Anglia is advising motorists using Brundall station car park that it will close for three weeks from Sunday. Alternative arrangements have been made.

Brundall station car park will close from Sunday 6 January and will reopen on Friday 25 January.

This will allow essential equipment to be delivered and installed in conjunction with ongoing works to renew the signalling system between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

“Gum Busters” are being used at Greater Anglia stations to clear up dried-up chewing gum from platforms and concourses.

The machine operator uses the nozzle at the end of the hose to brush away the remains of the gum.

Greater Anglia’s cleaning contractors, Carlisle Cleaning Services, are using six machines across the network to clear up discarded gum.

All mainline stations are completely cleared of gum four times a year.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is now live at Colchester rail station car park.

The new system will make it easier for customers to pay for parking, as it increases the variety of payment options available, and help to improve security.

Customers can now pre-register their car and payment details online, allowing automatic payment to make parking completely hassle-free.

Greater Anglia is working with NCP, the UK’s largest parking retailer and operator, to roll out Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology across 20 rail station car parks, giving customers greater control over how and when they pay for their parking.

The ticketless ANPR technology will make it easier for customers to pay for parking, as it increases the variety of payment options available, and help to improve security.