'You’ve got to have a thick skin in this job because you can get called every name under the sun'

Train conductors are being spat on, abused and threatened on a daily basis on trains across the north west.

Northern Rail has asked members of the public to treat all staff with respect as they crackdown on abuse. Train operators have reported a number of incidents amongst conductors facing verbal and physical abuse - including shouting, spitting, and being attacked in recent years.

Lewis Tracey, 28, a conductor in Wigan added: “I had a lad spit in my face and try to punch me a few years ago. They see the uniform and want someone to vent at, but sometimes the abuse does get really personal and they don’t realise how much it can affect that person."

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With the addition of body-worn cameras, he continued by speaking about the benefit they have had on staff: "The body-worn cameras and CCTV do make a difference, because people think twice before they abuse someone or hit someone because they know they’re on camera."

Fellow conductor Andrew Wade, 59, followed this point by adding: "It’s reassuring to know that the trains are covered by CCTV and the body-worn cameras, which are very good and available for everyone to wear."

He said: "I do think they act as a deterrent to anyone who is being anti-social.”

Anthony Mooney, 36, a conductor in Liverpool said: "You’ve got to have a thick skin in this job because you can get called every name under the sun. It can escalate from nothing when you least expect it.

"I got a tirade of homophobic abuse from someone and they threatened to kill me. All because I asked him for a ticket."

Northern has installed a further 600 new CCTV cameras to there already 1,000 monitors in stations.