Council shuts second pop-up urinal after worker crushed to death in the West End

A council has shut a second pop-urinal after a man was crushed to death in the West End.

The man was working on the underground pop-up lavatory in Cambridge Circus, just yards away from the Palace Theatre, when the accident happened at about 1pm on Friday.

The victim, who had been working below street level, was freed by emergency services but was pronounced dead. A crane had to be brought in to try to lift the urinal out of the ground.

Westminster City Council said it is temporarily shutting down the second of its UriLift toilets on Villiers Street as a “precautionary measure”, according to MailOnline.

A spokesperson for the council added: “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.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We’re sorry 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. The man is thought to have sustained crush injuries while working on a telescopic urinal at the location." A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene."

London Fire Brigade added: "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."

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 1.05pm to reports of an incident on Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, members of our hazardous area response team, members of our tactical response unit and a medic in a fast response car.

“We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.”