No penalty for ignoring booze ban

The ban came into effect on 1 June

No-one has been thrown off the Tube for ignoring the alcohol ban on London Underground, information released by British Transport Police has shown.

Police spoke to 35 people who were seen drinking alcohol since May, figures obtained by BBC London showed.

Transport for London (TfL) said the ban had been "self-enforcing and effective" and the feedback was "positive".

But the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said it reaffirmed that the ban imposed on 1 June was a "gimmick".

The figures were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Police said they informed people about the ban on drinking alcohol on the Tube.

"In the vast majority of cases this is enough to make people discard their alcohol or consume it outside the station," the British Transport Police (BTP) said.

It was always nonsense anyway from the start Bob Crow

The 35 incidents were not recorded as no criminal offence was committed, BTP said.

A TfL spokesperson said 400 million passengers travelled on the Tube between 1 June -11 Oct 2008.

He said: "This shows that the alcohol ban is self-enforcing and working."

But the RMT union's general secretary Bob Crow said: "It was always nonsense anyway from the start.

"To be honest I have worked on the railways for 31 years and I haven't seen loads of people going around (drinking) before this so called ban came in."