My big night out: I raced for the train with my bladder bursting – and it was the start of a disastrous journey

‘I gritted my teeth and started to sweat.’ Illustration: Mark Long/The Guardian

I had been visiting my boyfriend in London for the weekend. He was a hard-up student and I was still at sixth-form, but beer was pretty cheap in 2000, so we had been out for a few pints. Now we were racing to St Pancras so I could get the last train home to Derby.

I legged it through the station and made it on to the train with seconds to spare. No time for the loo, but I’d relieve myself on the train. Or so I thought.