Latest news with #JoeReeve
Metro
14-06-2025
- Metro
London Underground driver sacked after knitting and watching videos at the wheel
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A London Underground driver who was caught knitting behind the wheel has been sacked. Footage shows the driver of the Northern Line train at Hendon Central station appearing distracted as pulled away from the stop in February. They can be seen watching a video on their phone as well as knitting. It was only when a commuter spotted the driver and filmed the driver were they eventually caught. The witness who caught the incident on camera said: 'I was so surprised. I didn't expect to see someone meant to be at work being so casual about the job. 'Especially because, at the time, there were Tube strikes going on, so it felt mad they were complaining about the job then relaxing on it. 'And, although I don't know how automatic the system is for the tubes, I remember thinking that this person has the passengers' lives in their hands. 'It felt crazy that this driver wouldn't take that more seriously.' Transport for London said: 'This video was made earlier in the year. We carried out a full investigation and the person involved no longer works at TfL.' Meanwhile commuters have decided to take the state of the network's graffiti into their own hands and have started scrubbing them. Recent months have seen a dramatic increase in defaced carriages, with Underground trains frequently seen covered with graffiti both on the inside and outside. Joe Reeve, from Looking for Growth, led a team to spruce up trains on Sunday morning. He told Metro: 'We are seeing this [graffiti] every single day. I take the Bakerloo Line every day. I see someone push through the barriers, and then every carriage is covered in graffiti. 'Londoners are fed up and the cavalry is here. We are not going away.' His team used an environmentally friendly water-based graffiti remover to clear the writing plastered all over the carriages, including on the doors, floors and ceilings. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman stabbed mum to death with birthday cake knife at child's party MORE: Manhunt after woman 'sexually assaulted inside cinema' MORE: Royals watch Red Arrows fly past after touching tribute to Air India crash victims
Metro
09-06-2025
- General
- Metro
Londoners take graffiti covered Tube trains into their own hands
A group of people took Tube graffiti into their own hands by giving carriages a scrub themselves. Recent months have seen a dramatic increase in defaced carriages, with Underground trains frequently seen covered with graffiti both on the inside and outside. Joe Reeve, from Looking for Growth, led a team to spruce up trains on Sunday morning. He told Metro: 'We are seeing this [graffiti] every single day. I take the Bakerloo Line every day. I see someone push through the barriers, and then every carriage is covered in graffiti. 'It's one of the those things that bugs people.' He added: 'Londoners are fed up and the cavalry is here. We are not going away.' His team used an environmentally friendly water-based graffiti remover to clear the writing plastered all over the carriages, including on the doors, floors and ceilings. But he explained that while some stains came off on the first wipe, others took far longer to remove, suggesting they had been left for weeks. He said: 'It comes off in the first wipe if it's under a week. When the graffiti's older it sticks more. By not dealing with it right away, it makes it much harder and more expensive to remove it later.' They're hoping to return to the fleet on Tuesday, and this time Joe hopes they will cover a full carriage every 30 minutes. In the last few months, graffiti has become a common sight on the Tube in recent months, specifically on the Bakerloo and Central lines. Both happen to have some of the oldest rolling stock on the network, with Bakerloo line trains having been continuously in service since 1970 – the oldest fleet still operating in Britain today. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But the problem has spread onto other lines and newer trains, with even the brand new Piccadilly Line stock, which has yet to begin service, covered in artwork on arrival from Germany last year. Many commuters have said the graffiti reminds them of the New York Subway in the 1980s, when the system was well-know for being hotspot for crime and tagging. London Assembly member Bassam Mahfouz said that as well as making trains look a 'complete eyesore' the artwork was making passengers feel less safe. He said: 'If it is removed within a reasonable period of time, then that minimises the number of people who see it and therefore, there is no point putting even the sliver of effort to my artwork if it's not going to be seen, and I'll move somewhere else. Last month, TfL explained that a faulty automatic train washer was partly responsible for the uptick in graffiti visible on trains, but later clarified that the problem had been rectified. However commuters are increasingly convinced the problem is a symptom of the network's ageing rolling stock, with some suggesting that a shortage of trains on both lines means TfL is unable to take sets out of service to rid them of graffiti. One user commented on Reddit: 'TfL's current budget constraints means less money is being spent on low-level maintenance requirements such as graffiti removal, so it's not being removed much, and more graffiti is encouraging more graffiti and so on.' Another factor is the lack of CCTV coverage on both lines, with the exception of some refurbished Central Line trains, so vandals are rarely caught on camera. More Trending Joe blames a combination of poor procurement and management at the top, in particular the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. TfL said that it works to remove graffiti quickly, but added that where it cannot be wiped down easily it is covered wherever possible before being attended to during engineering hours, in order to keep trains in service. Siwan Hayward, director of security, policing and enforcement said: 'The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority. We are working closely with the police to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour on the network, with over 2,500 police and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement staff patrolling the network at all times. 'We work hard to ensure that our customers and staff feel safe when travelling on the network and continue to strengthen our capability to deter and detect fare evaders and ensure our trains and stations remain a pleasant and clean environment for passengers.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: The real reason behind 'Stop Hiring Humans' ads appearing on the Tube MORE: 'Stupid' Apple Pay prank plagues commuters on London Tube MORE: Fare dodger barges his way through barriers – and straight into arms of police
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'We're doing what Sadiq Khan can't!' Fed-up commuters take matters in their own hands and scrub graffiti off Tube trains
They are the UK's oldest passenger trains in regular scheduled use, and are known for their rather tired feel and appearance given they started running in the 1970s. But a group of volunteers so angered by graffiti-covered carriages on the London Underground 's Bakerloo line have taken matters into their hands to clean them up. The team led by Joe Reeve, 28, are now attracting praise from Transport for London (TfL) train drivers and passengers who have thanked them for their efforts. Mr Reeve, who is the founder of a policy group called Looking for Growth, has been critical of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan - saying he is 'doing what Sadiq Khant'. Speaking about wider concerns about the state of the Tube, he told The Standard: 'I take the Bakerloo line every morning and I see someone push past the barrier. 'Then when I get down to the Tube, every single carriage is full of graffiti. It feels like no one is doing anything to make the city better. I'm pretty patriotic. 'I love London, and I think it should be the best city in the world. I had the option to move to the US for work, but I want to stay in the UK and see it get better.' He added: 'Sadiq has been mayor for a while and has said in videos he's proud of what he's achieved. I - and a lot of people - feel pretty frustrated with him.' Mr Reeve, who lives in Lambeth, South London, said three drivers have thanked the group for their efforts, with one telling them: 'At least someone's doing something.' TfL claims that it works to remove graffiti as quickly as possible - but where it cannot be removed easily, it is covered if possible and cleaned during engineering hours. The aim is to keep trains out on the network and minimise passenger delays. Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservative Group, told MailOnline: 'A group of activists in one morning have put Khan and TfL to shame by showing how easy it is to clean up our Tube. 'It's disappointing that the Mayor constantly has to be humiliated into acting, but we look forward to legions of TfL staff being put to good use wiping down the remaining graffiti which has adorned Tube carriages for disgracefully too long.' It comes after shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick highlighted fare dodging on the TfL network last month. He released a video in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station, and it quickly went viral. Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, told MailOnline today: 'The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority. 'We are working closely with the police to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour on the network, with over 2,500 police and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement staff patrolling the network at all times. 'We work hard to ensure that our customers and staff feel safe when travelling on the network and continue to strengthen our capability to deter and detect fare evaders and ensure our trains and stations remain a pleasant and clean environment for passengers.' The current rate of fare evasion on the TfL network is estimated at 3.4 per cent of journeys, and the transport body wants to cut this to 1.5 per cent by 2030. The issue has also been highlighted by the ongoing Channel 5 documentary 'Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law' which is next airing this Sunday at 9pm. The Bakerloo line runs from Elephant and Castle to Harrow & Wealdstone, with the current set of 1972 Mark 2 stock trains now more than half a century old.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watch: Londoners remove graffiti from Tube in swipe at Sadiq Khan
Credit: X/ @isnit0 A group of Londoners have filmed themselves removing graffiti from inside tube trains in a swipe at Sadiq Khan. The group, founded Joe Reeve, a 28-year-old Londoner, say they are 'doing what Sadiq Khan can't' by cleaning up Bakerloo Line carriages. It comes after Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, confronted fare dodgers on the tube in a video which has been viewed millions of times on X. Mr Reeve said: 'I take the Bakerloo line every morning and I see someone push past the barrier. 'Then when I get down to the Tube, every single carriage is full of graffiti. It feels like no one is doing anything to make the city better,' he told the London Standard. Mr Reeve is the co-founder of political lobbying group Looking For Growth, which says it was founded to challenge 'high energy costs, excessive bureaucracy, and a Government that has lost its ambition'. Mr Reeve, who was wearing a hi-vis vest with the slogan 'Doing what Sadiq Khant', was joined by Tom Harwood, a GB News presenter. Mr Harwood posted on X: 'I'm absolutely sick of seeing endless disgusting graffiti on the tube.' In a video, he added: 'We have been wiping away, swiping away, with eco-friendly graffiti remover… 'A couple of guys with cheap graffiti remover can make it look slightly less terrible. You can too!' The Bakerloo Line has the oldest passenger trains in regular scheduled use in the whole of the UK. Its 1972 Mark 2 stock trains are now 53 years old, well beyond their design lifespan of 40 years. The original 1972 Mark 1 trains were used on the Northern Line, but were withdrawn in the mid-1990s when faster and more spacious rolling stock was introduced. Although TfL wants to order replacement trains from German company Siemens, doing so is estimated to cost around £1.9 billion. Rail magazine reported earlier this year that even that price could soar because it is based on adding trains to an existing order with Siemens for new Piccadilly Line stock. If that order is fully delivered before a decision is made about the Bakerloo, the production line would have to be restarted. TfL was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
08-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Watch: Londoners remove graffiti from Tube in swipe at Sadiq Khan
A group of Londoners have filmed themselves removing graffiti from inside tube trains in a swipe at Sadiq Khan. The group, founded Joe Reeve, a 28-year-old Londoner, say they are 'doing what Sadiq Khan can't' by cleaning up Bakerloo Line carriages. It comes after Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, confronted fare dodgers on the tube in a video which has been viewed millions of times on X. Mr Reeve said: 'I take the Bakerloo line every morning and I see someone push past the barrier. 'Then when I get down to the Tube, every single carriage is full of graffiti. It feels like no one is doing anything to make the city better,' he told the London Standard. Mr Reeve is the co-founder of political lobbying group Looking For Growth, which says it was founded to challenge 'high energy costs, excessive bureaucracy, and a Government that has lost its ambition'. Mr Reeve, who was wearing a hi-vis vest with the slogan 'Doing what Sadiq Khant', was joined by Tom Harwood, a GB News presenter. Mr Harwood posted on X: 'I'm absolutely sick of seeing endless disgusting graffiti on the tube.' In a video, he added: 'We have been wiping away, swiping away, with eco-friendly graffiti remover… 'A couple of guys with cheap graffiti remover can make it look slightly less terrible. You can too!' The Bakerloo Line has the oldest passenger trains in regular scheduled use in the whole of the UK. Its 1972 Mark 2 stock trains are now 53 years old, well beyond their design lifespan of 40 years. The original 1972 Mark 1 trains were used on the Northern Line, but were withdrawn in the mid-1990s when faster and more spacious rolling stock was introduced. Although TfL wants to order replacement trains from German company Siemens, doing so is estimated to cost around £1.9 billion. Rail magazine reported earlier this year that even that price could soar because it is based on adding trains to an existing order with Siemens for new Piccadilly Line stock. If that order is fully delivered before a decision is made about the Bakerloo, the production line would have to be restarted.
