Council shuts second pop-up urinal after man crushed to death in London’s West End

Westminster City Council has announced it temporarily shutting down the second of its UriLift toilets, on Villiers Street, as a “precautionary measure”.

It comes after a worker was crushed to death in London’s West End last night.

The horrifying event unfolded at Cambridge Circus – on the junction between Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the man became trapped below street level underneath a hydraulic urinal.

A spokesman council spokesman said: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the friends and family of the worker who tragically died at this site in the West End.

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

It is understood that the man became trapped while performing maintenance work on the pop-up urinal, which is operational at night.

Shocked crowds were held back by a police cordon as crews worked desperately to free the man.

Ambulance crews, an air ambulance and firefighters were dispatched at 1.05pm and police were called five minutes later.

The man was freed, but pronounced dead on the scene.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We’re sorry to have to update that, despite the efforts of emergency services, the man who was critically injured in Cambridge Circus was pronounced dead at the scene.

“His next of kin have been informed. Cordons remain in place at the location.

“Police were called at around 1.10pm on Friday January 27, to a seriously injured man at Cambridge Circus, W1.

“The man is thought to have sustained crush injuries while working on a telescopic urinal at the location.”

An air ambulance was seen landing in Trafalgar Square and a crane was brought in to try and pull the entire device out of the ground.

Dozens of London Fire Brigade workers could be seen trying to rescue the man.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: ‘Firefighters were called to a person trapped on Charing Cross Road in central London.

“A man was trapped below street level underneath a hydraulic urinal.

“Firefighters worked with partner agencies and used a winch to free him.

“He was left in the care of London Ambulance Service and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

“The brigade was called at 1.05pm and the incident was over by 3.41pm. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Soho, Euston and Dowgate fire stations were at the scene.”