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Tube workers taught how to use toasters after burnt toast shuts King’s Cross
Dick Murray, Transport Correspondent22 Apr 2010
Thousands of Tube passengers faced major disruption after one of London's busiest stations was closed twice because staff let their toast burn.
Workers across the network are now being given lessons in how to use toasters and other cooking facilities in their station mess rooms, following the two alerts at King's Cross St Pancras. Both sparked major fire dramas.
On each occasion, firefighters were called to the station after smoke began billowing from singed bread left unattended in a toaster — once at 8am breakfast time and the other at 6pm tea time.
Each time, the station, which serves the Victoria, Piccadilly, Northern, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, and connects with mainline services as well as Eurostar, had to be evacuated and closed for 20 minutes.
Jo deBank of London TravelWatch, which represents passengers, said: “This might sound minor but to shut such a busy station — which disrupts the journeys of thousands of passengers — is serious. Perhaps there should be a toast ban across the network.”
A Transport for London spokeswoman confirmed the station had been closed twice “for approximately 20 minutes due to a fire alert.” One took place on March 13 and the other on April 7.
She said the cause was “smoke from a toaster in the staff area of the station. London Underground has extensive heat and smoke detection systems, fire alarms and sprinkler systems and both alerts were dealt with quickly.
“Staff have been reminded to take care when using the cooking facilities and we would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.”
A senior Tube source said: “The two closures of King's Cross St Pancras have caused severe embarrassment to top brass — particularly as it meant the station closed down both times.
“LU is very fond of repeating how safety is paramount' and then their own staff cause fire alerts by, of all things, burning the toast.”
It is not the first time staff have burnt their food and created a full-scale fire alert.
Employees at Caledonian Road station on the Piccadilly line found smoke billowing from the mess room cooker this year.
The official report concluded: “Upon inspection of room found the cause of smoke, someone had decided it was a good idea to store their box of rice krispies and four custard cream biscuits in the oven.”
Reader views (28)
So that's what they do during rush hour! Well what do you expect with Blob Crow as a "roll" model!
- Bob, Oval, 24/04/2010 12:39
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@ Anon, London
Perhaps, but where is all this extra money going to come from? Higher wages means more cost to you and me.
You cannot operate in a bubble, a rise in the operational cost of any business will have a knock on affect. The ordinary punter at the bottom of the economy pile is you and I.
We already have the most expensive public transport system in the world.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 23/04/2010 13:11
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Ah, hello there Frank!
Who is to blame for allowing the emergency service staff to earn a low salary?
It's not the taxpayer, It's not transport staff, it's the government!
You're right, striking is a selfish method at resolving disputes, but it seems to be the only way they get what they're entitled to.
Perhaps if our government made it compulsory for everyone (not just transport staff) to have a fair pay rise, strikes wouldn't be neccessary.
- Anon, London, 23/04/2010 12:37
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@ Anon, London
PS: I have nothing personal against any individual, it is the negative influence of the Unions, socialism and the constant striking at the drop of a hat I despise.
Holding other people to ransom just so that they can get more money is disgusting.
Other people who are basically trying to get to their jobs and do their own work to pay their mortgage and put food on the table for their kids.
It is the cowards method, it is the socialists method.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 23/04/2010 12:05
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Crumbs!! Perhaps the toasters were made in China. After all mine automatically shuts off when the toast "pops" up.
- peter, Vienna, Austria, 23/04/2010 11:45
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@ Anon, London
Please try not to announce your ignorance to the on-line world as you have done.
With an annual salary of £40,000 (06/09) for a 35-hour week, (probably has gone up by now), a London tube driver earns approx. £10,000 a year more than the average London nurse.
Station staff earn between £24,000 and £29,000 a year (probably has gone up by now).
Red light stop;
Green light go;
Run a red light;
Burn the toast;
Go on strike;
£40,000+ please.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 23/04/2010 11:38
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Fact: The toasters were removed from the staff areas on the instructions of the Line Manager, Mr David Millard, by a station manager, because another station manager didn't produce a report in the required time for Mr Millard.
You couldn't make it up.
Fact: Station staff do not earn £42k a year, they earn around £25k a year. A very considerable difference.
Fact: Station staff are in the frontline the minute anything goes wrong, and are the first ones that the public look to for help.
If you think you can do the job, then why don't you apply for it when they are advertised, instead of being critical of a job you know very little about.
- Tube Worker, London, 23/04/2010 10:59
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Tell me ...kevin h, london .... Do you think these same staff are really sorry when they go on strike at the drop of a hat and inconvenience the whole of London.... er No. They are overpaid selfish and, by all accounts, not too bright.
I do not know why you are picking on Frank. He made a valid point. You Kevin on the other hand need to get out a bit more and experience what goes on in the real world.
- Paul H, London, 22/04/2010 22:51
Ah, good morning young fellow!
No I don't think they give a damn when they go on strike, especially when they have to deal with ignorance from certain members of the public. The only point Frank raises is he hates transport staff. Seeing as that's the case, why doesn't he just admit it rather than edge around the mattter hmm?
- Anon, London, 23/04/2010 10:58
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If one puts a few tins of soup (unopened) in the microwave, they heat up so quickly!
- John, London, 23/04/2010 09:58
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Paul H , Have you ever spoken to a member of staff of the underground ? they don't earn £42k , the last time they went on strike the underground still ran because most of the staff didn't support the the action ? and the young man i spoke to had a architecture degree , but because couldn't find a job , so for you to call them stupid is not only derogatory , but mis-informed .
I intentionally stopped and asked at both my home station and my work station , and the staff were polite and friendly
Why is it so easy to blame and be negative ? Get all the facts before making wide sweeping statements
- kevin h, london, 23/04/2010 09:15
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Tell me ...kevin h, london .... Do you think these same staff are really sorry when they go on strike at the drop of a hat and inconvenience the whole of London.... er No. They are overpaid selfish and, by all accounts, not too bright.
I do not know why you are picking on Frank. He made a valid point. You Kevin on the other hand need to get out a bit more and experience what goes on in the real world.
- Paul H, London, 22/04/2010 22:51
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What a complete misinformed muppet ...
who cares how much someone earns ... mistakes happen and im sure the staff really are sorry for causing such a problem, goodness sake bankers earn millions but that didnt stop them sending the country into a spiralling recession.
Why dont you tell us all how perfect you are frank - because you never do anything wrong "obviously "
"Red light stop;
Green light go;
£42000 please.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 22/04/2010 13:23"
- kevin h, london, 22/04/2010 20:59
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Red light stop;
Green light go;
Don't forget to switch the toaster of;
£42000 please.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 22/04/2010 15:16
Frank, it looks like you could do with getting your facts straight!
Station staff do not get £42000, neither do the drivers.
I also suggest you get a better job Frank - you seem to waste alot of your time on here.
- Anon, London, 22/04/2010 18:25
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My electric toaster ejects the bread once it toasted, perhaps they still toast on open fires or gas stoves at Kings Cross?
- mickinlondon, london, 22/04/2010 13:29
Or by the light of the Signalman's lantern..................
- nora kane, London, 22/04/2010 17:30
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why dont they make toasters that dont burn bread? Just an idea...surprised no one's thought of it before in the design departments....
- common sense, uk, 22/04/2010 16:52
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Maybe its now time to shut all H&S departments down before we all finish up in the mad house,
- shallotman, Basildon, 22/04/2010 16:12
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Tony, Hove: I really do understand how easy it is to burn toast, I'm always doing it.
Oddly enough Tony; so is Tony Blair burning his wife Cherie’s breakfast toast?
But it only takes a few fire-engines to put out his burnt toast.
- mickinlondon, london, 22/04/2010 15:50
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Clearly you've never microwaved a cup of tea for over an hour....
- Phil Jones, Zimbabwe, 22/04/2010 15:15
That is true, Phil; I microwave Ovaltine with milk for two minutes, that is all it takes, tea much the same etc.
But English Microwaves that are made in Chinese sweat shops tend to work; whilst in Zimbabwe nothing has worked since Independence Day.
Good luck with your President, I bet his Chinese Microwave works just fine in two minutes.
- mickinlondon, london, 22/04/2010 15:45
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@ Arfur Towcrate, Staffycher
Red light stop;
Green light go;
Don't forget to switch the toaster of;
£42000 please.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 22/04/2010 15:16
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How utterly ridiculous..... I am surprised Health & Safety haven't made them remove toasters and/or anything else that can cause smoke and just leave them with a microwave... that's what all other offices I know of have been forced to do.
- Paul, London UK, 22/04/2010 13:04
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Clearly you've never microwaved a cup of tea for over an hour....
- Phil Jones, Zimbabwe, 22/04/2010 15:15
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I really do understand how easy it is to burn toast, I'm always doing it. However the consequences are never quite as severe. I do wonder why someone has not thought to change the situation so as at least the consequence is not quite as severe as shutting a mainline station everytime someone burns a peice of toast. (or is that just to obvious) only to me!
- Tony, Hove England, 22/04/2010 14:54
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Frank, seeing as how you're so smart, how come all you do is post here all day, instead of getting a job or doing something useful?
- Arfur Towcrate, Staffycher, 22/04/2010 13:49
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My electric toaster ejects the bread once it toasted, perhaps they still toast on open fires or gas stoves at Kings Cross?
- mickinlondon, london, 22/04/2010 13:29
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Next week, staff are being asked to bring in their grandmothers for a seminar on sucking eggs.
- Keith, King's Cross, 22/04/2010 13:24
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Time to strike again Crow. Bring some bread and you can toast it over the burning oil drums.
Red light stop;
Green light go;
£42000 please.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 22/04/2010 13:23
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This is demeaning and belittling to the tube workers.
Bob Crow should look into this and seriously consider strike action.
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey, 22/04/2010 13:05
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How utterly ridiculous..... I am surprised Health & Safety haven't made them remove toasters and/or anything else that can cause smoke and just leave them with a microwave... that's what all other offices I know of have been forced to do.
- Paul, London UK, 22/04/2010 13:04
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This would be hilarious were in not for the fact that there are enough delays, closures and screw-ups already. If a piece of toast causes this much trouble I'd hate to see what happens when someone heats up a pasty.
- Peter, London, 22/04/2010 12:22
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