Timpson boss’s girl, 15, stranded at station af ter staff refuse child ticket
THE boss of the Timpson shoe repair chain has called Virgin Trains a ‘disgrace’ for leaving his teenage daughter stranded 180 miles from home.
Niamh Timpson, 15, was not allowed onto a train as she tried to return to Cheshire on her own after a day out with friends in London.
A ticket inspector refused to let her through the barrier at Euston station after accusing her of being too old for her child ticket.
Her father James Timpson shared a photograph of her £41.95 ticket on Twitter after the inspector scribbled ‘Not a child’ on it. Mr Timpson added: ‘You say she has no ID to prove how old she is. It’s 7pm and she is alone now at the station. When did you have to prove how young you are?’
The post prompted hundreds of online responses, with many pointing out there is no requirement for people to carry identification in this country.
One tweet from Shirley Jones said: ‘Appalling. No excuses. What were they thinking of? Clearly not the safety of a vulnerable young girl, which should have been at the forefront.’ Eventually, after the social media pressure, Virgin staff allowed Niamh onto the train.
After picking her up at Crewe to return to their home in Manley, near Chester, Mr Timpson wrote: ‘Not a good experience at all of the Virgin Rail ticket inspectors at Euston. Be a kind and caring company please.’
Later he added: ‘Thanks to everyone in Twitterland for their support during our daughter’s nightmare with Virgin Rail.’ The millionaire, whose company has 1,325 outlets in the UK and Ireland, many at train stations, also revealed he has asked to meet Virgin’s chief executive Tony Collins.
‘I have written to the CEO requesting a meeting to discuss their child safeguarding policies and how under-16s are treated,’ Mr Timpson wrote. ‘Kindness is not a sign of weakness.’
A Virgin Trains spokesman said: ‘Customers under 16 are eligible for a 50 per cent discount and we do recommend that if a child looks older it may be appropriate for proof of age to be carried.
‘We’re sorry for the experience of Mr Timpson and his daughter and we are in touch with them so we can look into this properly and offer a gesture of goodwill.’
National Rail guidelines say it ‘may be appropriate for proof of age to be carried’ for children travelling alone who are close to 15 or ‘look older’ than 16 as this can ‘avoid embarrassment’.