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Avanti West Coast apologises for ‘sarcastic’ pandemic tweet to stranded passenger
"You can catch the next service."
Avanti West Coast has publicly apologised after a tweet branded “sarcastic” was sent to a stranded passenger from its verified account.
The apology from the leading train company – which notably operates direct services to and from Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston stations – came after a passenger, named Rhys, complained on Twitter that he was “disappointed” when his train from Wolverhampton was cancelled.
The passenger – whose tweets are protected and cannot be viewed – then appeared to ask for some advice on onward travel from the company.
But the response Rhys received to his query was one he deemed had “unwarranted” sarcasm.
The tweet – written and signed by an Avanti West Coast employee named Sean – read: “I’m sorry Rhys, I’m disappointed there is a pandemic.
“You can catch the next service.”
The tweet thread continued when the passenger replied to say he did not think it was unreasonable to ask what to do, adding the “sarcasm” had been “unwarranted”.
Despite the tweets coming from the official verified Avanti West Coast account, a spokesperson for the company said posts fell “well below the standards we expect”, and added that the response was “a one-off”.
A follow-up tweet also saw the company “unreservedly apologise”.
“We’d just like to unreservedly apologise for the earlier comments made on this thread. It falls well below the standards we expect [and] we’ve also been in touch with Rhys to offer our apologies,” the apology tweet read.
“Without a pandemic, we would have a full quota of train crew to be able to run a full timetable,” the company insisted.
“We know we didn’t get this right hence why we have apologised,” the spokesperson concluded.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Read more:
Applications close on Sunday 4 October 2026 at midnight, and you must be 18 or above, with a valid UK or ROI passport, to enter.
Find out more and apply here.
Featured Image – Matthew Salacuse / Channel 4
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Hundreds of katsu curries are being given out for FREE in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of katsu curries are being dished up and given out for free in Manchester this week, but only for certain people.
And those lucky people will be students.
That’s right… a new semester is upon us, and thousands of freshers and returning students are descending on the city and Manchester‘s many universities for another year. But the life of a student isn’t exactly the cheapest sometimes, especially for those who haven’t had to live on a budget before moving out or into halls.
But to make things a little easier, Tampopo has announced it’ll be serving hundreds of one of its most popular dishes for free this week.
Tampopo is celebrating National Katsu Curry Day in the most delicious way possible, by giving away 700 Katsu Curries with rice for free, exclusively to freshers and students this Sunday (27 September).
Whether you’re brand new to the city, settling back into uni life, or you’re simply in need of a katsu fix, students can head to their nearest participating Tampopo and tuck into a hearty meal without needing to spend a penny.
100 katsu curries will be available each from 12-2pm at both Tampopo restaurants in Manchester city centre – which are on Albert Square, and in the Corn Exchange – or if you head over to the Trafford Centre, both the Tampopo there and the East Street sites are taking part.
“[Our] Katsu Curry has long been one of our most-loved dishes, so National Katsu Curry Day felt like the perfect excuse to give students a proper welcome to the new academic year,” Tampopo said in a statement.
Read more:
So, are you feeling hungry then? The offer is exclusively available for takeaway only to freshers and students with a valid student ID, which they must present on collection.
100 portions are available at each participating location, and just one free katsu curry with rice will be available per person.
Get ready to tuck in, you lot.
Featured Image – Supplied
Emily Sergeant -
16th December 2021 
