Why you don’t want to hear this name on the London Tube
From a baby crying to the sound of hip hop coming through a millennial’s headphones, there are plenty of sounds you don’t want to hear when catching the London Tube.
But this code is the last thing you want to hear, and if these two words are heard across the loudspeaker it’s a sign to get out of the station immediately.
Those two words are “Inspector Sands”.
Inspector Sands is the code public transport authorities in the UK use to alert staff and other agencies like the police about emergencies like fires or bomb scares.
The exact wording of the message reportedly depends on the nature of the incident.
For example, the message might say, “Would Inspector Sands, please report to the operations room immediately” or “Would Inspector Sands, please report to Platform 2”.
If you do hear the announcement, there is no need to panic. Simply follow instructions being given by staff at the station in an emergency.