Seagull attack leaves commuters at Tonbridge station in a flap

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From thisiskent:

First it was snow, then a wet driver's seat ^ but the latest excuse for train disruption has got commuters in a right flap.

A pesky seagull was to blame for train delays when it attacked a driver as he was about to start his shift.

London-bound passengers at Tonbridge station descended into fits of laughter when they were told their train was late because the driver had been attacked by a seagull.

Liza Donoghue was waiting on the platform for the 9.20am service to Charing Cross when the announcement was made over the loudspeaker. The 63-year-old said: "We were told over the Tannoy and the whole station burst out laughing loudly. It was a wonderful, magical moment, everyone just looked at each other and people were saying, 'Did I really hear that right?' I keep giggling about it."

The rush-hour train was delayed when the bird swooped down and struck the driver on the head as he was about to board his train in Hastings.

The service was delayed by 15 minutes last Thursday morning while the driver was treated by first aiders.

Long-suffering commuters have heard every excuse in the book from rail operator Southeastern, from leaves on the track to a driver's wet seat.

But Ms Donoghue, a foster carer and mother-of-four, said passengers saw the funny side to the unusual apology. She said: "It was certainly a different excuse from Southeastern. We've had leaves on the track before but this was something original. I'm not a regular commuter, I happened to be going to collect a car in Clacton, but it was just a brilliant moment. Even worn-out and miserable people at the station started laughing."

Southeastern spokesman Jon Hay-Campbell said: "This is a rare occurrence but seagull attacks can be quite serious. They are large birds and people have been knocked to the ground by them."

[Ollie]

In fairness a 15min delay isn't end of the world, and credit to the driver for still staying on shift after being attacked by the Seagull.

Judging by the fact he only need a bit of first aid shows it wasn't overly serious, but easily could have been.

Shame people can't see that.

[johoare]

9.20 departure? Rush hour? Commuters? I'd be surprised...

[devon_metro]

Sounds like thisiskent has some kind of personal vendetta against SE!

[JayMac]

Sounds like thisiskent has some kind of personal vendetta against SE!

I agree. Some of the comments in the 'wet seat' story were hilarious.

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Train-cancelled-driver-s-damp-seat/article-3204091-detail/article.html

[Tim]

I went to the assistance of a bald chap who was attacked out of the blue by a seagull on Chancery Lane a few years ago.  He was rather badly cut on his head and shaken up by the whole experience (he didn't know whether to laugh or cry).  The bird was seriously vicious and it took repeasted blows with a briefcase to get it away. 

I can well believe that a seagull attack could temporarily put a driver out of action.

Of course in the olden days he would have been wearing a cap which would have protected him...

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Daily Mail:

'We apologise for the lack of sexy women': Train company's tongue-in-cheek response to passenger complaint

A train company has apologised to a man after he complained that there were 'not enough attractive women^ on his train.
Blogger Elliot Uttridge fired off a letter of complaint to Southeastern trains after his service from Gravesend in Kent to London was 14 minutes late.
He pulled the train firm up about its late trains and poor service, but then added as a joke: ^I would like to bring to your attention the lack of attractive women on this morning's train.^
He added: ^You should hire some attractive women, and I guess in the interest of fairness and non-sexism, some attractive men too, to wander the trains.^
The 31-year-old IT worker, however, was not prepared for the apologetic reply he got from a member of staff at Southeastern.
The reply read: ^I'm sure you will recognise that it is difficult to provide services that suit each passenger individually. This is partly because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but also because we cannot discriminate against those passengers that do not meet your criteria. Nevertheless, if you are able to ask a few of your attractive female friends to join you on your journey then this would not only help boost our revenue, but would also help to ensure that your request for the provision of attractive women is suitably catered for.^
Mr Uttridge said: ^It was great that someone took the time to read what I wrote and sent an amusing reply.^
A spokesman for Southeastern said this week: ^It is clear this man was in regular communication with our customer services and shows the human side of the company.^
Southeastern also caused amusement earlier in the year when one of their trains was delayed because the driver had been attacked by a seagull.
He was walking along the platform at Hastings station to drive a morning train to London when the bird swooped on him.
While first-aiders checked him over Southeastern informed passengers further up the line what was happening.
Liza Donaghue, 63, a mother of four and foster carer, was waiting at Tonbridge station, Kent, when she heard the announcement over the loudspeaker system. She said: ^No one had really taken any notice until that point, then everyone looked and started looking at each other and saying, ^Did he just say what I thought he said?^Then everyone started laughing. People could not believe it.^
A Southeastern Trains spokesman said at the time: ^This is a rare occurrence. But seagull attacks can be quite serious.^