Body 'kept in Tube station cleaners' room for five hours'
A union is calling for an inquiry after the body of someone who had been hit by an Underground train was allegedly left in a cleaners' room for five hours.
The RMT union claims that during that time a cleaner came across the body in the room.
The incident happened at Edgware Road Tube station on Saturday 2nd July.
London Underground (LU) said the body was in a secure area awaiting transfer to a mortuary. It was not aware of any station cleaners being involved.
The RMT accused LU of being too concerned with getting a service up again. It has written to LU demanding an inquiry.
A TfL spokesperson said that following a "person under a train incident" at Edgware Road station last Saturday at 0510 BST, services on the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City line were suspended through that area and the emergency services were called.
The person was confirmed dead at 0620 BST.
Because the ambulance service does not transport bodies the body was moved to a secure room within the station to await transfer to a mortuary, said TfL.
The station reopened to the public just before 0700 BST and the body was collected just before 1100 BST.
The TfL spokesperson insisted that "standard procedure" had been followed.
"Person under a train incidents are thankfully rare," the spokesperson added. "Each incident is traumatic for everyone involved, the families, friends, Underground staff and the emergency services.
"Any members of staff involved in incidents of this nature are offered counselling and support by LU's Occupational Health service, as was the case with a member of station staff. However we are not aware of any of the station's cleaners being involved."
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: "This shocking incident exposes once again the pressure right from the very top to keep services running.
"We are demanding to know how this was allowed to happen and we want assurances that it won't happen again."