ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A commuter is urging Transport for London to clean its underground trains more effectively after highlighting an issue on her way to work.

Christina Ross was travelling from her home in Epping, Essex, to her workplace in Holborn on the Central Line when she noticed the grab pole was dirty. She took out a wet wipe and used it to clean the pole, and a grimy residue was clearly visible on the wipe.

Ross tweeted pictures of the dirty pole to Transport for London as well as the city's mayor Sadiq Khan, and the posts went viral.

"I've been back to work and commuting for a month now, and the only person I've seen is one man picking up the papers at the end - nothing else," tweeted the 27-year-old. "How is this safe?"

Earlier this year TFL introduced enhanced cleaning methods including hospital-grade virucides and UV light as well as adding more than 200 sanitising devices at 110 escalators across its underground network.

Director of asset operations for London Underground Esther Sharples said: 'We have worked hard during the pandemic to ensure that trains and stations are clean and sanitised so that the network is as safe as possible.

"Our trains are regularly disinfected with a long-lasting anti-viral spray which provides ongoing protection against coronavirus, regardless of any dirt. And testing by Imperial College London has not found any traces of coronavirus on the network including on the grab rails, which are swabbed as part of this testing."