South West Trains (SWT) has denied it is open season for fare dodgers at Kingston station, after ticket barriers were ripped out this week.

Station workers will now have to inspect each passenger’s ticket manually, after the automatic barriers were removed on Monday due to huge crowds struggling to enter and exit the station at peak times.

One staff member, who refused to be named, said the work was necessary because of safety issues and admitted there would be an increase in fare dodging before the new gates were installed.

He said: “We have to do this because there are too many people coming in during rush hour. It’s very dangerous and we have to have police help us.

“The new gates probably won’t come for a couple of weeks. If some kid wants to run through without paying, it’s not my job to run after him.”

An SWT spokesman said: “As part of the redevelopment work currently taking place at Kingston station, the ticket gate line at the station is being re-positioned to help reduce congestion at peak times and provide more space for customers.

“In order for this work to be carried out, the ticket gates have been temporarily switched off.

"It is expected that work to re-position the gate line will take approximately one week. During that time, manual ticket checks will be carried out by staff.”