diff --git a/distribution/src/site/content/tabular-parameters.html b/distribution/src/site/content/tabular-parameters.html
index 2a7c0d5af..268b9cb1f 100755
--- a/distribution/src/site/content/tabular-parameters.html
+++ b/distribution/src/site/content/tabular-parameters.html
@@ -372,16 +372,27 @@ <h2>Loading tabular parameter from an external resource</h2>
 </script>
 
 <p>Inlined properties can be applied to the tabular parameter loaded from an external
-resource</p>
+resource, though keep in mind that parsing related properties like <b>headerSeparator</b>, 
+<b>valueSeparator</b> and <b>ignorableSeparator</b> must be placed inside the external 
+resource they belong to.</p>
 <script type="syntaxhighlighter" class="brush: bdd">
 <![CDATA[
 Given that Larry has done <trades> trades
 Examples:
-{headerSeparator=!,valueSeparator=!}
+{transformer=FROM_LANDSCAPE}
 org/jbehave/examples/trader/stories/traders.table
 ]]>
 </script>
 
+<h2>org/jbehave/examples/trader/stories/traders.table</h2>
+<pre class="brush: plain">
+{headerSeparator=!,valueSeparator=!}
+!name !rank    !
+!Larry!Stooge 3!
+!Moe  !Stooge 1!
+!Curly!Stooge 2!
+</pre>
+
 <p>If the external tabular parameters contains <a href="#transformers">transformers</a>, they will be applied immediately after the resource is loaded. Consequently, transformers from the current story/scenario will be applied subsequently.</p>
 Scenario:
 <pre class="brush: bdd">
@@ -395,7 +406,6 @@ <h2>Loading tabular parameter from an external resource</h2>
 {transformer=REPLACING, replacing=url1, replacement=url2}
 |urls                 |
 |https://www.url1.com |
-</pre>
 
 <p>We need to enable theExamplesTable parameter converter to find
 the resource with the appropriate resource loader configured via the <a
diff --git a/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/table_loaded_from_classpath.story b/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/table_loaded_from_classpath.story
index fe437218f..0b67c81e6 100755
--- a/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/table_loaded_from_classpath.story
+++ b/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/table_loaded_from_classpath.story
@@ -30,5 +30,4 @@ When the stock is traded with <price>
 Then the trader is alerted with <status>
 
 Examples:
-{transfomer=LANDSCAPE, headerSeparator=!, valueSeparator=!}
 org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/trades_transposed.table
diff --git a/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/trades_transposed.table b/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/trades_transposed.table
index 987d5fa8e..3c7ca4864 100755
--- a/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/trades_transposed.table
+++ b/examples/core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/examples/core/stories/trades_transposed.table
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+{transformer=FROM_LANDSCAPE, headerSeparator=!, valueSeparator=!}
 !symbol   !STK1!STK1!STK1!
 !threshold!15.0!15.0!15.0!
 !price    !5.0 !11.0!16.0!
diff --git a/jbehave-core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactory.java b/jbehave-core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactory.java
index e163b452b..2126841e0 100755
--- a/jbehave-core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactory.java
+++ b/jbehave-core/src/main/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactory.java
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package org.jbehave.core.model;
 
+import static org.apache.commons.lang3.Validate.isTrue;
+
 import java.util.Deque;
 
 import org.jbehave.core.configuration.Configuration;
@@ -92,6 +94,7 @@ public ExamplesTable createExamplesTable(String input) {
         Deque<TableProperties> properties = tablePropertiesQueue.getProperties();
 
         if (!isTable(tableAsString, properties.peekFirst()) && !tableAsString.isEmpty()) {
+            checkResourceProperties(input, properties.peekFirst());
             String loadedTable = resourceLoader.loadResourceAsText(tableAsString.trim());
             tablePropertiesQueue = tableParsers.parseProperties(loadedTable);
             Deque<TableProperties> target = tablePropertiesQueue.getProperties();
@@ -110,6 +113,14 @@ public ExamplesTable createExamplesTable(String input) {
                 tableTransformers, tableTransformerMonitor);
     }
 
+    private void checkResourceProperties(String table, TableProperties properties) {
+        isTrue(keywords.examplesTableHeaderSeparator().equals(properties.getHeaderSeparator())
+                && keywords.examplesTableValueSeparator().equals(properties.getValueSeparator()) 
+                && keywords.examplesTableIgnorableSeparator().equals(properties.getIgnorableSeparator()),
+                "Examples table parsing separators are not allowed to be applied outside of external table they "
+                        + "belong to:%n%s", table);
+    }
+
     protected boolean isTable(String table, TableProperties properties) {
         String headerSeparator = properties == null ? keywords.examplesTableHeaderSeparator()
                 : properties.getHeaderSeparator();
diff --git a/jbehave-core/src/test/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactoryBehaviour.java b/jbehave-core/src/test/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactoryBehaviour.java
index 36cc06ab6..a1f4ac70f 100755
--- a/jbehave-core/src/test/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactoryBehaviour.java
+++ b/jbehave-core/src/test/java/org/jbehave/core/model/ExamplesTableFactoryBehaviour.java
@@ -2,12 +2,16 @@
 
 import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
 import org.jbehave.core.io.LoadFromClasspath;
 import org.jbehave.core.io.ResourceLoader;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.ValueSource;
 
 class ExamplesTableFactoryBehaviour {
 
@@ -142,4 +146,25 @@ void shouldLoadAndProperlyApplyTransformersForExamplesTableFromResourceInput() {
                         + lineFromFirstInnerTransformer
                         + lineFromSecondInnerTransformer));
     }
+
+    @ValueSource(strings = {
+        "headerSeparator",
+        "valueSeparator",
+        "ignorableSeparator"
+    })
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    void shouldFailIfExamplesTableParsingSeparatorsArePlacesOutsideOfExternalTableTheyBelongTo(String separator) {
+        // Given
+        ExamplesTableFactory factory = new ExamplesTableFactory(new LoadFromClasspath(), new TableTransformers());
+
+        // When
+        String tableAsString = String.format("{%s=!}\ndata.table", separator);
+        IllegalArgumentException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class,
+                () -> factory.createExamplesTable(tableAsString));
+
+        // Then
+        String message = String.format("Examples table parsing separators are not allowed to be applied outside of "
+                + "external table they belong to:%n{%s=!}\ndata.table", separator);
+        assertEquals(message, thrown.getMessage());
+    }
 }