I tutted as I squeezed by the two gents who had appeared to have decided to have a chat in the entrance to the train station.

Only after I reached the platform did I realise he was asking to see my ticket. Just so happens that I was having to get onto the platform to collect my pre-purchased ticket from the machine.

This did leave me a bit baffled. The road side entrance to the ticket office was shut, has had a barrier across it for the last few weeks. I could not understand the role of this ticket checker. Particularly on a Monday, I would have thought half the passengers were having to wander by him in order to get a ticket anyway.