Code 1 Means Blood…and 6 Other Secret Codes London ... - The Sun

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

LONDON can feel like a different world sometimes, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Tube staff in the capital have their own secret language.

If you’ve ever been on an Underground train in the capital, you’ll have probably heard the coded announcements staff give each other over the tannoy.

But you may not know how to tell your Code 1s from your Code 5s, since few passengers have any idea what the numbered messages are going on about.

Most of the time, the announcements aren’t anything sinister – in fact, they all refer to different types of cleaning jobs in the station.

The London Underground network is big and busy, so it helps for staff to have a way to communicate about spillages and incidents quickly and clearly.

Besides, it wouldn’t go down well if passengers had to listen to all the disgusting details of what’s made a mess over on platform 3.

Most Tube stations will make use of a numbered system from 1-7, with each number describing a different cleaning job.

They range from bio-hazardous blood on the floor (Code 1) to run-of-the-mill sweeping jobs when someone’s dropped a load of litter in a station (Code 6).

Meanwhile, a Code 2 is for a job involving urine or faeces, while Code 3 means someone’s been sick somewhere.

Code 4 is for a spillage and Code 5 is broken glass, while Code 7 is a catch-all term for everything else.

What those Tube cleaning codes really mean

Code 1 – Blood

Code 2 – Urine/Faeces

Code 3 – Vomit

Code 4 – Spillage

Code 5 – Broken Glass

Code 6 – Litter

Code 7 – Anything else

These codes are regularly used all over the tube network, and now you know what staff are going on about when there’s an announcement about them.

You’ll also know to steer well clear of any platform where there’s been a Code 2…

Most read in Living

MUMS THE WORD

Anthony Joshua preps for fights with meals cooked by his proud mum… but she still doesn’t watch him in the ring

TIME CAPSULE

Three-bedroom Art Deco house left virtually untouched since the 1930s goes on sale for £550,000

LIZ-LE BIT DIFFERENT

Remember Wife Swap's foul-mouthed Lizzy Bardsley? Here's what the mum-of-eight looks like now

COOL CUSTOMER

Sun girl takes to the streets in a bikini to see whether Nando’s, McDonald’s and Barclays will serve her in the heatwave… here’s how she got on

These aren’t the only code phrases you’re likely to hear in Tube stations.

Previously, we revealed the secret emergency phrase to listen out for next time you get the train.

And we also revealed the hilarious hand signals used by flight attendants to chat about dinner without shouting across the plane.