EAGLE-eyed bus inspectors have become adept at spotting counterfeit passes.

First Manchester's team of checkers have been so successful in recent months that during May four cases of forgery were prosecuted and the defendants convicted.

The company, which operates in the Leigh area, said where inspectors discover the blatant use of a counterfeit pass it employs a legal management system developed in conjunction with leading solicitors to prosecute.

David Kew, a partner at Horwich Farrelly, said: "There is now little scope for abuse of the system."

Individual team managers select route-checking patterns, or sometimes blitz periods are applied on routes where intelligence in dicates a possibility of fares evasion activity.

First Manchester operations director, Russell Gard, said: "We don't believe we have a significant problem with forgery, particularly when the number of cases is compared to the 1.5 million passengers we carry every week.

"However, we do know that there is a minority which has become quite clever at forgery and some of their work is pretty good.

"Unfortunately for them our inspectors are cleverer still and fully experienced in keeping at least one step in front."