I confronted a stranger over an annoying train habit – his response wasn't what I expected

 There is a chance that as I approach the latter years of my 30s, and as the stress of having two children under the age of three tears away at what is left of my sunny disposition, I am becoming a bit of a grump.

There are definitely more things about daily life that annoy and irritate me now. People who suddenly stop on a busy street, causing the rest of us to suddenly halt as well, sometimes creating a comedy crash of bodies is one such example.

But that issue pales into insignificance in the blood-boiling ranks when compared with what appears to be a worrying and rising trend in public places.

I can't be the only one who has noticed more and more people thinking it is absolutely fine to blast loud music or videos from their phones on public transport, or to have very loud conversations on loudspeaker in such settings. What is going on?

The other week I was on a train to London and a young woman sat in the row in front of me had her partner on loudspeaker for almost the entirety of the journey, both shouting loudly about various problems they were having. I was very clued up on their domestic strife by the time we reached Milton Keynes.

And on numerous recent occasions, during my commutes to and from work on the Merseyrail network, I have found myself becoming increasingly enraged by those who, for some reason, believe the whole packed carriage should listen to whatever they are listening to.

Well on Tuesday morning it all got too much for me. I had what fans of nineties films might call a minor 'Falling Down' moment.

Having alighted the busy rush-hour service after a difficult morning in which I had suffered a comedy tumble during my morning run and was covered in cuts and bruises, I sidled onto the train and pleasingly found a seat. I only mention the fall to give a better understanding of my already troubled demeanour as I climbed on board the rail service.

As I prepared to get stuck into the book I am currently reading, I noticed a blaring noise coming from just behind me. It soon became apparent that a man was blasting out music from his phone - a lot.

This was not just any music, but heavy metal. With no offence intended to metal fans everywhere, these particular tunes were about the last thing I needed to hear at this early point in my day.

As the din continued, I glanced around and clearly others were as irritated as me. I looked from furrowed brow to scowling face and realised that while annoyed, no one was in the mood to say anything.

That's understandable of course. No one should feel forced into an awkward or difficult interaction when they are simply travelling to work.

But maybe the fact I was already a little stressed out from going head over heels on the pavement an hour earlier, and like a young Michael Douglas, I finally cracked.

I asked the man who was casually cranking out Metallica to all corners of the carriage if he didn't have headphones he could use - like everyone else who was choosing to listen to music on the train.

He said he didn't. I asked if that therefore meant we all had to hear what he was listening to. He repeated that he didn't have headphones. I pointed out that his actions were a little anti-social.

As I moved to another part of the train, I am fairly certain he turned the tunes down or off altogether. He hadn't reacted especially badly or aggressively to my questions and maybe he simply hadn't realised the impact his actions were having.

But I am glad I spoke up, largely for the knowing nods of respect I got from some around me. Not all heroes wear capes, some are exasperated, portly regional journalists, I told myself.

At this point I should acknowledge that I speak from a position of some privilege as a man of 6ft 2ins. I'm not tough or anything but I am big. I can understand why plenty of people wouldn't want to confront a stranger for various reasons - in fact I usually wouldn't, but this day was different.

Polling shows that over one in two Brits (54%) say they would not feel comfortable asking someone to turn down their music on public transport and that makes sense. You don't know what reaction you might get, plus let's be honest, the standard British response is to tut, shake the head and moan about it later.

So what can be done about this practice when there isn't an irritable dad-of-two around to make the point? Well the issue has become so prevalent that some have even suggested legislating against it.

Last year the Liberal Democrats called for a change in the law, asking for fines of up to £1,000 to be dished out to those playing loud music and videos on trains and buses - labelling these people 'headphone dodgers'.

London mayor Sadiq Khan also launched a campaign to encourage public transport users to wear headphones.

In Ireland, there has been actual action taken. Irish Rail have introduced new etiquette guidelines and a 100 Euro fine for those blasting out loud music and videos on their trains.

Time for the UK to follow suit I reckon, before this really gets out of hand.

And once that is sorted, my next campaign will target the people who leave their bags on seats on busy trains. Life sentences all round please.