A man has been left counting the cost after he was convicted of trespassing on a railway line.
Raymond McBurney was ordered to pay more than £500 after he was found guilty of the offence by West Cheshire Magistrates sitting in Chester.
McBurney had denied a charge of trespassing on railway property.
The court heard McBurney, 54, had walked across a ‘wheelbarrow’ crossing area at Chester Railway Station on July 11 last year.
When challenged by British Transport Police officers, McBurney, of Abbey Green, Chester, said he was unaware crossing was prohibited, and he had not seen warning signs in and around the station.
McBurney insisted he had only been aware of a Stop Look and Listen sign before he made his way across the line from a platform to wave goodbye to a friend. McBurney had been due to travel by train to London, but was delayed when there was an issue with his ticket.
He told police at the time of the offence he accepted he had crossed the railway line, but not to trespass.
McBurney told the trial he had asked police officers if he could show them the signs of which he had understood to mean he was able to cross the line but he said officers had refused.
Giving evidence PC Jeffery Robinson, who dealt with McBurney at the time of the offence, confirmed there were numerous warning signs about trespassing at the station and the penalties involved.
Questioning him, McBurney, who chose to represent himself , said: “How does a member of the public define trespassing? The signs say do not trespass on the railway, it does not define what trespassing is.”
PC Robinson said a strict policy was in place with regards to the crossing of the railway line, which required authority and an escort from a member of Network Rail.
People were also required to wear a high visibility vest when crossing to avert potential danger, he said.
McBurney was fined £100 and was also ordered to pay £400 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.