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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas

Man crushed by falling urinal near London's Trafalgar Square

An air ambulance has landed in Trafalgar Square after a man was "seriously injured" by a urinal.

Emergency services attended the scene at Cambridge Circus, outside the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue just after 1pm on Friday.

He later died from his injuries.

The workman had been operating on a "telescopic urinal" when he suffered "crush injuries", police said.

This type of hydraulic urinal - introduced to reduce incidents of public urination - is stored beneath the pavement during the day before being brought up to street level for revellers visiting Central London at night.

Four fire engines and 25 firefighters were also dispatched to the scene, with the rescue operation still said to be ongoing at 2.45pm as attempts to free him continued.

Fire crews helped rescue the man who was reported to be trapped (@KetoCancerQueen/Twitter)
Police said a workman suffered "crush injuries" while working on a "telescopic urinal" (@louiseallain/Twitter)

Four fire engines and 25 firefighters were also dispatched to the scene following reports of a person trapped.

A number of roads going through Cambridge Circus and the surrounding area have been closed to assist the emergency response.

Onlookers could be seen taking photographs as the air ambulance landed in Trafalgar Square.

The City of London police said in a statement: "Police were called at around 13:10hrs on Friday, 27 January, 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.

Roads in the surrounding area have now been closed (Mirrorpix)
Ambulance crews were also dispatched to the scene (@louiseallain/Twitter)

"LFB, LAS and London’s Air Ambulance are in attendance. Officers are assisting with road closures."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called today (27 January) 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 (HART), members of our tactical response unit and a medic in a fast response car. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“The incident is still ongoing.”

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