David Blunkett falls into Tube station gap as blind ex-Home Secretary in 'enormous pain'

Former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, has blasted "death trap" platforms aft helium fell done the spread portion boarding a bid astatine Westminster Station

David Blunkett was near successful "enormous pain" erstwhile helium fell into the spread portion boarding the Tube astatine Westminster Station arsenic helium blasted "death trap" platforms.

The Labour peer, who is blind, called connected Transport for London to bash much to support visually impaired radical safe. He was getting connected a District Line bid with his usher canine 3 weeks agone erstwhile his feet slipped.

“As I took a measurement to get connected to the conduit bid I abruptly felt some my feet disappearing down the gap," helium said. “In an instant my assemblage had been propelled guardant into the carriage and I was look down connected the floor.

"My legs had someway been scraped retired of the spread and into the carriage. I didn’t afloat cognize what had happened. I felt tremendous symptom successful some my legs; they were bruised and grazed."

Lord Blunkett’s autumn came aft a caller bosom onslaught that means helium indispensable instrumentality humor thinners, which marque immoderate bruising oregon bleeding dangerous. An X-ray confirmed “extraordinary bruising” but nary breached leg, and helium says helium is “angry” astir what happened.

“Whenever you measurement into a conduit presumption successful London you perceive the tannoy pass radical to ‘mind the gap’," helium wrote successful the Sun connected Sunday. "But excessively often determination are nary unit members to really assistance you if, similar me, you cannot see.”

He is calling for TfL to marque efforts to capable the widest gaps connected platforms and marque definite determination is ever idiosyncratic determination to help, particularly during unreserved hour.

“Some of our platforms are decease traps. The spread betwixt the walkway and bid is immense and they are unsafe for everyone, but peculiarly for unsighted people.” He volition soon conscionable TfL to inquire for answers and an urgent reappraisal into the information of the busiest conduit stations.

Nick Dent, London Underground’s manager of lawsuit operations, said: “We were highly atrocious that Lord Blunkett was injured connected our network. We person written to, and volition beryllium gathering with, him to sermon however we could person managed the incidental amended and to guarantee that lessons are learned.

“The information of our customers and unit is astatine the forefront of everything we do, and portion injuries similar the 1 experienced by Lord Blunkett are rare, we are undertaking a immense scope of enactment aimed astatine eradicating specified incidents and making travelling adjacent safer for everyone.”