Bare-footed cheek
Train passenger refuses to take feet off seat ... claiming he’s ill
IT’S enough to make anyone see red – a passenger on a busy train putting his bare feet up on one of the three seats he’s bagged.
But when fellow commuter David Buxton asked Andrew Dignan to put his feet down, he was told: ‘If you don’t like it, move.’
So Mr Buxton eventually took matters into his own hands – and threw one of Mr Dignan’s shoes out of the train.
The lunchtime service from Buxton to Manchester yesterday was said to be so busy that other passengers were forced to stand as Mr Dignan, 49, occupied three seats including an area earmarked for Mr the Buxton,of disabled.Mr who Dignan, took said:this photograph ‘This gentleman took it upon himself to occupy three seats.
‘During the journey I asked him three times to put his feet down, to which he replied, “I can do what I want. If you don’t like it, go and sit somewhere else”.
‘At no point was a guard anywhere to be seen. Arriving at Manchester the carriage was full and
with people standing he still had his bare feet on the seat. ‘I decided to teach him a lesson and went over to him while he was putting on his socks. ‘I told him what I thought of him and took one of his shoes off the train and dumped it on the platform. I’ve got no idea if he found it or not but I sure felt better for doing it.’ But last night, Mr Dignan, of Disley,upset stomach Stockport, and said swollenhe had feet an and decided to let them breathe. The antiques collector and property landlord, who once appeared on the ITV antiques show Dickinson’s Real Deal, added: ‘I’m a quiet guy. I took my shoes and socks off to put my feet on the seat because my feet are swollen.’ Under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 it is a criminal offence to put your feet on a train seat or by convenience’interfering ‘withof fellowthe comfort passengers. Last year, Merseyrail passenger £50 by Daniel magistrates Murphy after was beingfined caught with his feet on a seat. Murphy, 22, was spotted by an enforcement officer as the train neared St Helens. In addition to the fine, he had to pay an extra £50 in court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.