A RAILWAY ticket inspector snatched a disabled travel pass from a partially-sighted man after he refused to pay full fare, it is claimed.

Clive Johnson, 48, had stepped off a train at Huddersfield station when he was stopped by an inspector on the concourse who asked to see his ticket.

Mr Johnson, who had returned from a job interview in Bradford, explained he had been unable to buy one as there was no conductor on the train.

He offered to buy a concessionary ticket for 50p, the flat fare for holders of an English National Concessionary Pass, said Mr Johnson.

But Mr Johnson, of Brighouse, who has several eye conditions which impair his vision, said the inspector demanded he pay the full £4.10 for the journey.

And when Mr Johnson walked off, the inspector asked to see his concessionary pass before snatching it from his hand, he claimed.

And the inspector, Mr Johnson said, refused to return the pass unless he paid the full fare.

A station manager later returned the pass to Mr Johnson but he says he is appalled by the way he was treated by the inspector.

“It’s scandalous how I’ve been treated – I offered to pay,” he said.

“I was too proud to be registered disabled. Until last year I claimed no concessions,’’ said Mr Johnson, a tele-sales canvasser.

“I refused to go to a blind school as a child and I make excuses for nothing.”

A spokesman for First TransPennine Express said: “We are aware of Mr Johnson’s complaint. However he was not in possession of the correct ticket and therefore when he was challenged at Huddersfield, our revenue protection team were correct to withhold his pass until he agreed to pay the full fare.

“Whether the cost of the fare is £50 or 50p customers must be in possession of the correct ticket and where appropriate, concession pass.

“A condition of travel is that customers must not walk past an open ticket office, which Mr Johnson must have done in order to complete his journey.

“First TransPennine Express staff will always offer help and assistance and in return should be treated in a respectful and polite manner”.