'Disgusting' commuter brushes teeth and spits it out on Tube platform

20 November 2019, 18:23

A commuter has been criticised for his "disgusting behaviour" after being pictured brushing his teeth before spitting on to the floor of a busy Tube station during rush hour.

Melissa Therms, a social media lead for the NHS Blood and Transport team, spotted the incident at Euston station. She shared photos of the man brushing his teeth and spitting out his toothpaste "repeatedly" on the platform.

Ms Therms described his actions as "disgusting behaviour," saying “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He then proceeded to spit on the platform and boarded the next train.

“People just sort of shifted but no-one said anything. As someone who works for the NHS I was concerned about health and safety,” she said. “Plus someone could’ve slipped and there’s the issue around germs as well."

She added: “I hope he’s OK but also think that the tube isn’t the place for this sort of behaviour.”

Social media users were very vocal in their disapproval of the man's actions when they saw Ms Therms' post on Twitter.

One user commented: "Oh for god's sake! Why can't people just wake up 3 minutes earlier?"

Another said: "Please tell me someone confronted him???"

One Twitter user asked: "Why not do it in the bathroom at wherever he's rushing to, makes no sense."

Another commented: "Society has completely broken down!"

The man was cleaning his teeth at about 9.45am on Wednesday morning as commuters were waiting on the platform at Euston for the Northern line.

Transport for London’s chief customer officer, Mark Evers, said: “It’s important that everyone is able to travel comfortably and we run regular Considerate Travel campaigns to raise awareness of how we can make travelling easier for fellow passengers.

“This includes encouraging people to look up to see if a fellow passenger may be struggling to stand and needs a seat, and encouraging people not to play loud music, eat smelly food or wear a backpack on a crowded vehicle.

“Clearly, spitting is unacceptable behaviour and is completely at odds with the work we do to ensure everyone has a pleasant journey.”