A transport watchdog has joined calls for oyster cards to be made valid on trains running to and from Stansted Airport.

London Travelwatch says rail passengers are mistakenly believing payments with Oyster and contactless cards are valid because the destination is badged as London Stansted.

Figures released by the group show the number of passengers being hit with fines to and from Stansted Airport and London has increased by 16,000 in two years.

Travelwatch’s Tim Bellenger. said: “Going up to 16,000 a year from virtually nothing in two years is a very large increase.

“They think it’s a London airport and therefore think an Oyster is valid.

“You can you use Oyster to Gatwick and Heathrow on Piccadilly or TfL rail. Being levied with a fine at Stansted is not terribly good if you are visitor from overseas. What we’d like them to do is extend Oyster and contactless to Stansted.”

A spokesman for Greater Anglia, which runs the Stansted Express, said the firm was always looking for new ways to improve its service and bosses would consider a change to the ticketing system.