Virgin Trains health & safety stupidity

Environmentalists would like a new tax levied on plastic coffee cups. A recent report has estimated a surcharge of every cup of coffee (or tea) sold in a disposable cup could cut the number thrown away in the UK by up to 300 million every year. I am always wary of research like this, but leaving that to one side, there are many people who carry around a coffee cup with them to avoid using disposable ones. One of those people is Peter Kohler, an environmental campaigner.

On a Virgin Trains journey from Edinburgh to London, Mr. Kohler decided to buy a cup of coffee. He took his cup with him, and was told that he couldn’t have his own cup filled because it was not risk assessed. Virgin Trains has a policy that only cups approved by the company can be used to serve hot drinks.

It reminds of a train journey I was on last year. Before I could walk away with a cup of coffee in a paper bag, a “hot” sticker had to be placed on the bag. As if I didn’t know? We are told to stop using disposable cups to help the environment, and are then faced with the bone headed health and safety industry who make a fortune out of every perceived risk we are likely to face in life, although Mr. Kohler’s cup looks much safer than the one approved by Virgin.

Mr. Kohler refused to buy a cup of coffee if it couldn’t be served in his own cup. I would have done the same. Come on, Virgin. Use a bit of common sense.