The inspections are part of an anti-fraud strategy

Metro operator Nexus caught 177 people during April, who were prosecuted and ordered to pay a total of �23,455 in fines and costs.

Their names will now feature on "name and shame" posters put up around the Metro system.

Nexus runs regular drives to tackle the problem of fare dodgers.

Nexus commercial director Andy Bairstow said: "We are proactive in catching that minority of people who think they can ride the system without a ticket.

Anti-fraud strategy

"We have a comprehensive anti-fraud strategy in place."

Last June, a 20-strong team was appointed to tackle fare cheats on the system.

The squad has been working in the busiest stations across the network and added to the work of the team of Metro ticket inspectors.

Nexus said it would mean 40% of passengers would have their tickets checked on a regular basis.

The company said it hoped to reclaim �1m from the anti-fraud strategy over the following 12 months.