A railway employee who served first class passengers sausage rolls he had taken from a bin claimed he was trying to go "above and beyond" for customer service. Peter Duffy, who worked for London North Eastern Railway (LNER), was dismissed after a colleague reported the serious breach of food hygiene standards.
The Incident on Board
The event took place on May 7, 2023, onboard an LNER service departing from York. Two passengers in first class had requested sausage rolls. According to a fellow crew member's complaint, they were in the kitchen when a host stated the sausage rolls had just been thrown away.
The reporting staff member later stated they heard "lots of laughing" from the kitchen where Mr Duffy and a colleague were based. Shortly after, a first class host took sausage rolls to Coach K. The staff member became suspicious after finishing their own meal. "I took my rubbish to the bin in the kitchen and this is when I noticed the bins were empty and there were no sausage rolls in the bin," they reported.
Investigation and Dismissal
LNER launched an investigation and retrieved CCTV footage. The footage appeared to show Peter Duffy retrieving items of food from a bin, plating them, and reheating them. His colleague then served the food to the customers. Both employees were suspended pending the outcome.
At an investigatory meeting on May 17, 2023, Mr Duffy defended his actions. He stated he was "a person who goes over and beyond for the customer" and that he had "totally ran out" of sausage rolls for first class. He claimed the rolls were still wrapped in foil and admitted, "I have just gone too far for the customer in my mind." He also cited suffering from anxiety, depression, and work-related stress.
A union representative suggested Mr Duffy had experienced transient global amnesia, a temporary short-term memory loss condition, on the day. His colleague denied seeing him retrieve the food from the bin, claiming the laughter was due to her passing wind, but the tribunal later found this evidence unreliable and self-serving.
LNER concluded that Mr Duffy had committed gross misconduct and dismissed him in July 2023.
Tribunal Upholds Dismissal
Peter Duffy brought claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination to an employment tribunal in Newcastle in August 2025. Both complaints were dismissed. In reasons published recently, the tribunal judge stated that LNER had acted reasonably in deciding to dismiss Mr Duffy. The judge also ruled that the actions which prompted his dismissal were not a consequence of any disability.
The case highlights the strict food hygiene standards expected within the transport and hospitality sectors, where customer safety must always take precedence over unconventional attempts at service.
