ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A man has died after being crushed beneath a telescopic public urinal while carrying out maintenance work on the device in central London.

Around 25 firefighters attended the scene and attempted to free the victim, who was trapped below street level beneath the hydraulic urinal.

The man, whose identity has not been released, is believed to have sustained crush injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was working on a UriLift urinal in London's in Cambridge Circus when the accident occurred.

Also at the scene were four fire engines, several ambulances and an air ambulance which was seen landing in Trafalgar Square. A crane was also brought in as rescuers attempted to lift the entire device out of the ground.

A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the friends and family of the worker.

"We have been on site supporting our contractor and the emergency services and will assist all investigations in any way we can."

Stainless steel telescopic urinals were introduced to London in 2002 in a bid to solve the city's street urination problem. They stand two metres high and arise from the ground at 1900 every night. And they disappear at 0600, after which they are stored underground.

The units are linked to the main sewerage system which means that unlike portable urinals - which need to be physically emptied - they can be flushed in the same way as a regular toilet.