Northern Trains is celebrating National Poetry Day by going after fare dodgers.

The train operator, which came under government ownership in February 2020, teamed up with the BAFTA-winning actor and writer, Phil Mealey, to send a message to "fare dodgers" on National Poetry Day (Thursday, October 6).

Mealey, well-known for his work on The Royle Family, Early Doors, and Sunshine, has penned a poem called "The Dodger" highlighting the tactics and pitfalls of a fare dodger on the operator’s 550-station network.

Northern Trains hopes the poem will make people think twice about travelling without a ticket, for which they can be prosecuted.

The Dodger, by Phil Mealey

I am a dodgy geezer
Dodging all my rail fares
Dodging the conductors
And their suspicious stares

Dodging the collectors
When they come walking through
Dodging into the next carriage
Or even dodging in the loo

But these days of being a dodger
Aren’t like dodging days gone by
I see it’s others who must pay
For every time I don’t comply

So now my dodging days are over
It’s not artful it’s a crime
And it doesn’t pay to be dodger
When you’ve got a twenty pound fine!