An irate train passenger has sparked a furious debate after slamming another traveller for using their bag to save a seat.
The commuter, who travels on the same rush-hour service daily, voiced her complaint online after seeing a woman refusing to remove her bag to allow fellow passengers to take the seat - even when the train is clearly busy .
Sharing her annoyance in a post on Mumsnet , she explains how "every morning the train is rammed" and despite people asking her to move her bag, she refuses and says she's "saving it for her pal", who, according to the original poster, eventually shows up.
"People end up standing, the seat free, then pal arrives," she added. "I've seen a couple of people ignore her, move the bag and plump down in the seat, the entire train almost cheered.
"They do not get on at the same stop. Saver is always on already, 'saving' as it were, then pal gets on."
"What's the protocol here?"
The question has ignited a flurry of responses, the majority of which agreed that the "seat-saver" was in the wrong for blocking the seat on a busy commuter service.
One user replied: "If they are getting on at the same station and it's just taking them a while to get through the train, fine.
"If they are getting on anywhere else, tough. If you want to sit together you go to the back, assuming a commuter train where the carriages at the back tend to be a bit emptier. Or stand up somewhere and chat if no room to sit."
Another added: "Exactly what they did - move the bag and sit down! EVERY TIME.
"I'm a train commuter, so on the train every day - people need to be called out on ridiculous entitled behaviour, and this is ridiculous entitled behaviour."
The post seems to have resonated with many other commuters, who sympathised, sharing their own "seat-saver" horror stories.
One wrote: "Ugh I'm always so surprised these people are so entitled and with no shame when most of us would be embarrassed! I would say that's not fair, please move your bag and sit down. Or no, I'm here now I'm going to sit down so move your bag.
"But that's assuming she will then concede and people like this don't do that.
"Then I feel stuck because I don't want to physically move their stuff or cause a row, mainly because such entitled people are the first to then play the victim and accuse their confronters of being violently aggressive / damaging their property etc. If anyone has a foolproof way of dealing it then I want to know too!"
Another said: "Had one of those the other day. Some very young woman telling me 'I'm sitting there', at a seat I'd reserved. She wasn't. I was."
One respondent, who says she works at a train station said: " I work at a train station and I can tell you that she cannot ‘save a seat’ unless she and her friend have paid to sit in first class, in which case she can save a seat.
"So no let her know the rules she cannot save a seat and if she really needs to save a seat for her friend every day then they best start paying for first class."
Other users offered their own snippets of advice on how to deal with the scenario.
One user suggested "I'd ask her to see the bag's ticket seeing as it's taking a seat up."
Another added: "Even if there where other available seats I'd sit in her saved seat every single day. Just tell her to move her bag or it will be sat on. Just out of principal. I can be stubborn and I'm sure she would get the point before I bored of doing it."
One recommended a sharp and swift approach saying: "Busy train line commuter here - I wouldn't even engage in conversation - just hand her the bag and sit down - no discussion required ... I can't believe the brass neck of some people."
When it comes to official seat saving protocol, in most circumstances you would need to have booked a reservation in advance. Northern trains operate a no reservation policy across all of their services.
