Train company bosses have come up with 12 ‘rules’ to follow on the Real Ale Trail in a bid to encourage drinkers to act sensibly.

Posters have been put up at nine railway stations on the route including at Batley, Dewsbury, Mirfield, Huddersfield, Slaithwaite. Marsden and Greenfield.

The aim is to remind ale trailers of the standards of behaviour expected at stations and while on trains - and follows complaints about rowdy, loutish and drunken behaviour.

Train company TransPennine Express drew up the rules which include:

1: Real ale only! No shots, fizzy lager or alcopops!

2: No fancy dress

Ale Trail: Lads from Salford outside The Commercial, Slaithwaite

3: Consider a booze cruise in the Med for your stag/hen do, not the sleepy Pennine Ale Trail

4: No trespassing !

5 No swearing or loud singing!

6: Purchase a ticket for the full length of your travel

7: Take your litter to a bin

8: Use the pub toilets, not the platforms!

Revellers relieve themselves on the Ale Trail
Revellers relieve themselves on the Ale Trail

9: Let people off the train, before you get on

10: No drinks on the train (full or not)

11: Don’t get steaming drunk

12: Be mindful of other passengers, families and children

A spokesman for TransPennine Express (TPE) described the Real Ale Trail as a “great day out” but there had been incidents of anti-social behaviour and abuse of train customers and employees.

Campaign to stop loutish behaviour on Real Ale Trail

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The spokesman said TPE was working to tackle the incidents alongside British Transport Police, Kirklees Council, pubs along the route and Northern Rail.

The spokesman said that security had also been stepped up on trains with the recent introduction of security officers on TPE trains at weekends.

The security officers - called ‘task force officers’ - were operating on the trains for the first time on Saturday, May 26.

Some residents of Slaithwaite greeted the posters with weary cynicism.

One said: “Will anyone take the slightest bit of notice?”

Another said ale trailers will be “too drunk to read the posters.”

One resident, who has previously complained about anti-social ale trailers near to Slaithwaite station, said she wanted to know how train staff would be implementing rule 10 which states: “No drinks glasses on the train (full or not!).”

She added: “It’s almost - but not quite - a move towards a dry train on a Saturday afternoon.”