Metro Bomb Scare

[Happy Face 29]

I just sent an email complaining about the service the last couple of days (Normally a half hour trip was 2 hours last night and 90 minutes this morning) then I read this...

 

Tyneside's Metro system ground to a halt this morning after an incident at Newcastle's Central Station.

 

The area was evacuated and police stopped trains running to the city centre when a scare was sparked just before 7am.

 

Commuters said they heard a homeless man, thought to be Polish, shout that he had a gun and a bomb and needed psychiatric help.

 

Trains were stopped in both directions and commuters trying to reach Central from Gateshead or Monument stations had to continue their journey on foot.

 

Passengers caught in the backlog were advised by announcements on the trains they should get off and catch a bus instead. A bus stop near the Central Station was cordoned off and taxis were stopped from entering the station's rank. Some mainline services were affected.

 

It was not until an hour and half later that two officers led the man handcuffed into a police van and services returned to normal.

 

 

One passenger, who had got off a train from Hebburn, said: "The man was shouting: `I have a bomb and a gun and I need a psychologist'. A policewoman was on the scene and she shouted for everyone to `Get out of there now'. She was straight on her radio to her colleagues saying: `Get everyone down here now'."

 

 

Geraldine Hall, aged 50, of Westerhope, Newcastle, was at Central Station, when the man was led away. She said: "It is very worrying because you fear the worst in the light of the bomb attacks in London."

 

 

Ian Adamson, 29, a carer, of High Spen, was on his way to Jarrow, when he was told he could not get on the Metro.

 

 

He said: "We were just told there was a security alert and people were not allowed into the Metro station."

 

 

Ann Courtney, 51, a civil servant, of Newcastle, added: "When I saw the Metro cordoned off I thought it must be a serious issue which was a worry."

 

 

Some passengers at Four Lane Ends interchange had bought their Metro tickets when they were told to catch a bus instead.

 

 

A Nexus spokeswoman said the problem started as staff tried to remove a vagrant. The station reopened at 9am when normal services were resumed.

 

 

She added: "He refused to go so we had to ask for police assistance. When they came he threatened them and said he had a bomb. We knew it was probably a hoax but had to evacuate the station as a precaution.

 

 

"We stopped trains in both directions which has affected services right across the system as every train eventually passes through Central.

 

 

"The vagrant was not known to us. He is obviously somebody who has decided to come in to sleep in the station overnight but is not somebody who the staff at Central have seen before."

 

 

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "The incident has now reached a successful conclusion. The station has now returned to normal service.

 

 

"A 21-year-old-man has been arrested and is being questioned by officers. The station has been fully re-opened."

 

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/chronic...-name_page.html

 

I feel bad for whingeing now

 

Still, it wasn't a bomb last night was it? The bar stewards!

[Gemmill 34425]

The Metro used to be fucking shit in bad weather. Dunno what it's like now.

 

Lad I work with got stuck in all this this morning. Had to walk from Central to Gateshead.

[Guest alex]

Polish eh? Leazes will be pleased.

[Sima 0]

Polish? It was Mr Sheen?

[Guest alex]

Polish? It was Mr Sheen?

French dad, Polish mam. That's so lame I half hope no one gets it.

[Jill 0]

I heard about that this morning.. my team leader rang me on my mobile to apologise for her lateness as she'd had to get on a bus which went round the world before getting into town. When she'd finished explaining I told her I was still at home (it was 8.55am) and was about to ring her in a few minutes to tell her I wouldn't be in... Didn't go down too well..

[Gemmill 34425]

I heard about that this morning.. my team leader rang me on my mobile to apologise for her lateness as she'd had to get on a bus which went round the world before getting into town. When she'd finished explaining I told her I was still at home (it was 8.55am) and was about to ring her in a few minutes to tell her I wouldn't be in... Didn't go down too well..

 

The secret to sickies is to ring early (7ish) and leave a voicemail. That way you're unaffected by the reaction of the person you're telling. Plus it's easier to put your ill voice on when you don't have someone interrupting with questions and that.

 

If they don't have voicemail, ring and talk to their secretary/assistant/the receptionist.

 

Voicemail is your best bet though. I have left many an excuse on voicemail and then gone about my day of illness/emergency holiday with not a care in the world.

[manc-mag 1]

Polish? It was Mr Sheen?

French dad, Polish mam. That's so lame I half hope no one gets it.

 

"French Polishers? It's just possible you could save my life tbh."

[Papa Lazaru 0]

Polish? It was Mr Sheen?

French dad, Polish mam. That's so lame I half hope no one gets it.

 

"French Polishers? It's just possible you could save my life tbh."

 

They don't make adverts like that anymore!

 

I wonder how much of that lad's life was spent with people shouting "Hello, French polishers!" at him in the street...i'd like to think quite a lot!

[Jill 0]

I heard about that this morning.. my team leader rang me on my mobile to apologise for her lateness as she'd had to get on a bus which went round the world before getting into town. When she'd finished explaining I told her I was still at home (it was 8.55am) and was about to ring her in a few minutes to tell her I wouldn't be in... Didn't go down too well..

 

The secret to sickies is to ring early (7ish) and leave a voicemail. That way you're unaffected by the reaction of the person you're telling. Plus it's easier to put your ill voice on when you don't have someone interrupting with questions and that.

 

If they don't have voicemail, ring and talk to their secretary/assistant/the receptionist.

 

Voicemail is your best bet though. I have left many an excuse on voicemail and then gone about my day of illness/emergency holiday with not a care in the world.

 

Agreed.. though they've started bollocking people at my place for leaving a voicemail to call in sick as generally speaking messages about ongoing files/appointments etc might need to be passed on.

 

Technically today wasn't a sicky for me anyway - my mam's not well so I've stopped off to look after her - so I wanted to talk to my team leader in person.

[Gemmill 34425]

I'll let you off for that blatant breach of sicky etiquette then. Hope your mam feels better.

[bobbyshinton 59]

I heard about that this morning.. my team leader rang me on my mobile to apologise for her lateness as she'd had to get on a bus which went round the world before getting into town. When she'd finished explaining I told her I was still at home (it was 8.55am) and was about to ring her in a few minutes to tell her I wouldn't be in... Didn't go down too well..

 

The secret to sickies is to ring early (7ish) and leave a voicemail. That way you're unaffected by the reaction of the person you're telling. Plus it's easier to put your ill voice on when you don't have someone interrupting with questions and that.

 

If they don't have voicemail, ring and talk to their secretary/assistant/the receptionist.

 

Voicemail is your best bet though. I have left many an excuse on voicemail and then gone about my day of illness/emergency holiday with not a care in the world.

 

 

woor lot carry company mobiles, I insist on speaking to them. It is part of them being considered for payment when off ill

[BlueStar 0]

When I was there there were loads of metros, about one every two minutes. Unfortunately 7 of them in a row were going towards the airport, so after about the 3rd one empty metros were rolling past lots of very pissed off people waiting for a coast train. How hard would it have been to switched one of them to go towards the coast ffs?

[Super_Steve_Howey 0]

I worked in a massive factory that had a sickmail system. No matter who you were or what your position was, if you didn't leave a message on this voicemail number an hour before your shift, you were AWOL. They even issued every new starter a sick card with the number on it. Totally guilt free if not over used. Loved it.