More penalty fares have been handed out to people on the Bury Metrolink line than any other route on the network, figures show.

Data from a Freedom of Information request to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has found that 4,512 penalty fares were handed out on the Bury line from January to June, 509 more than the second highest line, Altrincham (4,003).

The line with the least number of penalty fares in this period was the East Didsbury line (1,218).

Last year, the Bury line received the second most penalty fares with a total of 9,057. The Altrincham line had slightly more with 9,157.

Read more: Mayor confirms plans for Metrolink for Heywood, and Middleton

The line with the least number of penalty fares last year was the Manchester Airport line with 2,104.

Earlier this year, there was outrage as "human error" caused tram passengers to be fined even though they had bought a tram ticket.

Read more: Rachel Reeves hammers final nail in coffin for Bury railway plan

Reports came to light that passengers had been charged the "standard fare" on the network — £60 in total — having been checked by on-platform inspectors after they finished their journey.

Read more: Fewer double trams to Altrincham 'causing havoc', says commuter

Other passengers reported similar issues, albeit having been checked by an inspector before they started their journey.

The boss of Metrolink apologised for the error.

Regarding the penalty fares figures, Kate Green, TfGM’s TravelSafe partnership manager, said: “Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and staff is our number one priority.

"We want people travelling on public transport and our active travel networks to be safe, and feel safe, while doing so.

“The TravelSafe Partnership is committed to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, including acts of vandalism, head on.

"We take a zero-tolerance approach and are continuing to invest in even more uniformed travel support and enforcement officers on the Bee Network to provide a highly visible presence for everyone around the system.  

“Having more Metrolink staff on the ground has also led to a significant reduction in fare evasion across the network.

"As a result Metrolink is on target to generate an extra £2 million in net revenue per year, all of which will be reinvested back into the network for the benefit of all passengers.

"But crucially it’s been welcomed by customers and staff, and corresponds with a sustained period of reduced crime and antisocial behaviour reporting.”