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Drunken trainspotters get into a fight
There was a time when trainspotting was all men in anoraks quietly hunched over their notepads.
But a Lancashire firm which charters vintage trains has fired a stern warning to train buffs – after a drunken fight broke out on a trip from Preston.
The incident happened on a rail enthusiasts' trip to London, chartered by Carnforth firm West Coast Railways.
One man was thrown off at Leeds station after a fight broke out with another member of the group.
They are believed to have been drinking heavily.
Another man was left in London after twice ignoring warnings not to lean out of the train's windows.
And the carriages were allegedly left in a "disgusting state" by beer-swilling enthusiasts and needed special cleaning.
West Coast Railways bosses today said they would "not tolerate" unruly trainspotters ruining future trips for others.
Managing director Pat Marshall said: "There was a little hassle on the train. Sometimes you get a group of lads together and they get a bit rowdy.
"We put one person off the train who seemed to be causing all the trouble and the stewards have been reprimanded."
She said her company has told Spitfire Railtours, who ran the trip, to "sharpen up their stewarding" on future journeys.
Jo Ford, company secretary at Spitfire, said: "As far as we were concerned there were two gentlemen on the train who had a little altercation.
"It was possibly drink-fuelled but there was no yobbish behaviour.
"They disagreed and the offender was removed at Leeds.
"As far as we are concerned, we have adequate stewarding anyway, but we have to be mindful that all our stewards are doing what they should be doing.
"We have a zero tolerance approach to this."
John Stephens, of the Class 40 Preservation Society which provided the locomotive for the trip last month, said the trouble was down to a "small group of outsiders".
He added: "These yobs and troublemakers came from a group of lads who got on the train with an 80-pint barrel of beer at 6.30am and drank all the way to London."
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Weather for Preston
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: -3 C to 3 C
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