Boy, eight, found on Tube tracks near Stanmore

An eight-year-old boy found trespassing on London Underground tracks was led to safety by a Tube cleaner, it has been revealed.

The incident emerged a day after a 12-year-old girl was struck by a Tube train at Brixton, in south London, leaving her with serious injuries.

London Underground (LU) said the cleaner spotted the boy on the tracks at Stanmore last Saturday.

The RMT union said the two incidents raised “serious questions”.

‘Lifted on platform’

LU operations director Nigel Holness said: “Jubilee line services were disrupted at Stanmore after an eight-year-old boy was spotted trespassing on the railway by a cleaner.

“The cleaner lifted him back on to the platform without injury, where station and train staff stayed with him until police arrived.

“We are very grateful to the cleaning contractor and to our station and train staff for intervening to quickly respond and follow our established procedures to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”

The girl struck at Brixton, who has not been named, was taken to King’s College Hospital in nearby Camberwell for treatment.

She remained in hospital with life-threatening injuries on Wednesday morning, British Transport Police said.

Bob Crow, leader of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, said the two incidents raised “serious questions” about plans by London Mayor Boris Johnson for driverless Tube trains.

Mr Johnson has previously told BBC London there was a “misnomer going on” and that trains without drivers would not be unstaffed.

He said the the purpose of driverless trains was to “liberate London Underground staff from sitting in the cabs driving the train to doing other things on board”.

BBC