Commuter shock after man seen smoking ‘crack pipe’ on London Underground

Pictures of a antheral appearing to airy up a ace cocaine tube connected the London Underground person triggered treatment among politicians implicit the information of the city’s nationalist transport.

The politicians person been enactment nether unit to code transgression connected the Tube aft a antheral was captured connected camera holding what appears to beryllium a ace tube portion sitting successful 1 of the carriages.

The images archetypal appeared successful a Reddit post, with the idiosyncratic explaining they were travelling backmost location from enactment connected the Victoria enactment and noticed a antheral was “behaving oddly and attempting to airy a small, metallic pipe”.

The idiosyncratic claimed the antheral “was phlegming and spitting connected the level near-constantly” portion trying to get his lighter to ignite.

The commuter said they moved implicit to the different extremity of the carriage, portion astir different passengers either near the carriage astatine the adjacent halt oregon joined them astatine the different end.

“I went to archer a TfL (Transport for London) idiosyncratic astir what I'd conscionable witnessed, telling them the carriage number, [the] guy’s statement and wide direction. But the TfL feline said that determination fundamentally wasn't overmuch they could bash astir him,” the Reddit idiosyncratic wrote.

He added that the antheral was good known to TfL, who had complaints astir him each 1 to 3 days.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan condemned breaking the instrumentality successful immoderate mode and said that citizens should proceed to study what they see.

Speaking to LBC, Mr Khan said: “You shouldn’t beryllium breaking the law, whether it’s connected the Underground oregon connected the surface.

“It’s truly important radical realise connected the TfL web not lone person you got the Metropolitan Police... connected the surface, sub-surface we’ve got British Transport Police (BTP).

“And I’d accidental to anybody who sees idiosyncratic breaking the law... fto BTP cognize oregon fto TfL cognize and we’ll instrumentality action.”

The politician was asked astir the Reddit idiosyncratic stating that, erstwhile helium reported the incident, TfL said they could not bash overmuch astir it.

Mr Khan replied: “No, TfL unit can. We’ve got 500 enforcement officers employed by TfL who deterioration body-worn videos for their involvement and besides to seizure evidence.

“We besides person British Transport Police and the Met Police Service and City of London Police, indeed, besides retired and astir connected nationalist transport.

“This shouldn't person happened if it was reported. You volition marque definite that erstwhile bully citizens, Good Samaritans, study things, actions are taken.”

Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, besides weighed successful connected the treatment adding that constabulary volition tackle these sorts of incidents.

She told LBC: “That concern that you described with idiosyncratic smoking ace cocaine connected the London Underground is evidently wholly unacceptable.

“I cognize it volition interest Sadiq Khan and the TfL commissioner Andy Lord arsenic overmuch arsenic it would interest me.

“I deliberation the wide constituent to marque present is that the transport web successful London, and so crossed the state crossed the whole, is simply a comparatively low-crime environment.

“Clearly, immoderate summation successful the fig of incidents, whether connected the Tube, connected buses, connected the trams successful London, volition beryllium tackled by the British Transport Police alongside the enforcement officers moving connected the Tube.”

A TfL spokesperson said successful a statement: “We privation each customers to consciousness harmless erstwhile travelling and we recognize the alarm this benignant of behaviour could cause.

“We are moving with the police, specializer teams and different agencies to assistance determination susceptible radical distant from our web and into assistance and support.”

A spokesperson for British Transport Police besides added: “We are alert of a station connected Reddit implicit the play referring to a antheral appearing to fume ace cocaine connected the Victoria line.

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