LNER Train worker Peter Duffy sacked after passengers served sausage rolls taken from a bin
A train worker has been sacked after sausage rolls taken from the bin were served to first class passengers.
Peter Duffy, working for London North Eastern Railway (LNER), was accused of preparing “dustbin” sausage rolls for first class passengers, which a colleague then served.
The incident was reported by another train crew member, who overheard laughter from the kitchen before service and noticed that the bin was empty, despite being told earlier that sausage rolls were not available because they had been thrown away.
Mr Duffy claimed he “went too far for the customer”.
On May 7, 2023, Mr Duffy and a train crew member were working on an LNER service from York when two passengers in first class asked for a hot dog.
The colleague who voiced his concerns said: “When myself and a standard class host were in the kitchen to get food for ourselves, the host who was cooking told us that the sausage rolls had just been thrown away.”
Staff later reported “lots of laughter” coming from the kitchen where Mr Duffy and his colleague were and reminded them that a passenger was sitting nearby.
They added: “A few minutes later, one of the first-year hosts took the sausage rolls to Coach K.
“After I finished eating, I threw my garbage into the kitchen trash can and that’s when I noticed the trash cans were empty and there were no sausage rolls in the trash can.”
Staff claimed Mr Duffy took the food from the bin before plating it and reheating it.
He was later told that his colleague in the kitchen was serving food to customers sitting in first class.
Mr Duffy was told that CCTV footage had been obtained and showed that bits of food thrown into the bin were picked up by him in the presence of his colleague.
Footage shows the food being plated and reheated by Mr Duffy and then served to customers by his colleague.
Both were suspended by the train company pending completion of an investigation into alleged breaches of food hygiene standards.
At an inquiry meeting on May 17, 2023, Mr Duffy said he was “someone who goes above and beyond for the customer”.
“I obviously took them off because there was no one left to go to first grade, but they were wrapped in foil,” he said.
“We were completely exhausted, I had gone too far for the client I had in mind.”
He said he suffered from anxiety and depression, was on medication and had work stress, but added: “I was just trying to do what was best for the client that I was known for.”
A union representative present at the inquest said Mr Duffy “was suffering that day from a known condition known as transient global amnesia”.
Transient global amnesia is a sudden, temporary interruption of short-term memory.
Mr Duffy’s colleague denied seeing him take the sausage rolls out of the bin and said they had laughed because the wind had passed, but the court heard his evidence was unreliable and likely to be self-serving.
Mr Duffy was found to have committed gross misconduct and was dismissed in July 2023.
He claimed unfair dismissal and discrimination at a court in Newcastle in August 2025 but both complaints were dismissed.
In reasons published on Wednesday in support of the decision, the tribunal judge said the LNER had acted reasonably in deciding to dismiss Mr Duffy and that the actions that led to his dismissal were not caused by his disability.
