METROLINK fare dodgers are being warned to pay outstanding fines - or face the consequences.

Those who ignore the ultimatum will face a home visit by police and court enforcement officers under a special Metrolink revenue protection operation.

Following the success of a joint partnership initiative between Serco Metrolink, Greater Manchester Police and Bury and Manchester Magistrates Courts last year to collect unpaid fines, the team decided to repeat the exercise.

The team will be calling at the homes of people who have failed to pay their fines or costs placed on them by the courts and they will be asked to pay up immediately.

This year 200 people have been written to warning them to expect a visit.

Yesterday, a second stage to the operation took place when two stations on the Altrincham and Bury lines were targeted by the police and court enforcement officers with the Metrolink revenue protection team. Those caught without a ticket were checked for any outstanding fines.

The last time this operation was carried out in May 2005, there were in excess of 900 outstanding warrants issued in respect of non-payment of Metrolink fares.

Letters were posted to more than 600 offenders warning them that time was running out, in an effort to get them to pay any outstanding debts.

If they failed to report to the courts, a combined team of the court enforcement officer and a Metrolink police officer visited their homes.

David Godley, managing director of Serco Metrolink said: "We take very seriously the non-payment of fines and want people to understand that fare dodging is unacceptable behaviour which we will not tolerate."

Bury Court manager Ann Elliott commented: "The operation last year was a huge success when our court staff worked with the partnership."

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