Commuters and tourists say a “terrible” slanted stairway by London Bridge station is “dodgy” and “the worst in London”.
The bizarre steps leading down to the South Bank offer pretty views of the Thames – but bemused pedestrians insist they are “not practical”.
Tom Cleaver said: “Well, they’re facing the wrong way. They are sort of slanted in a way which makes it a bit difficult.”
The 25-year-old, who works as a journalist in Cyprus, added: “Thankfully, nobody has quite stacked it yet, but that’s because most people seem to be quite focused on the job.”
The strange design received huge attention after an X user’s comments slamming the stairs went viral.
The post branded them the “worst staircase in London” and received nearly one million views.
Neil Clayton, a solicitor, said he used the steps twice a week and was “used to it” but had heard of colleagues tumbling down.
“It’s just not very well designed,” the 47-year-old said. “It looks lovely, doesn’t it? But stuff can look lovely but be dangerous.”
Nick, a 50-year-old stockbroker, thought they looked “aesthetically, quite cool” but agreed they could be difficult to traverse.
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He said: “It sounds a bit weird, but because of Covid I don’t like to hold the handrails, so when I come down I have to be careful. I sound like an old man!”
Lisa Maechling and Victoria Lesca, two medical students in France, had just been discussing the weird walkway when approached by the News.
Lisa, 20, said: “The stairs were terrible. Not practical… they are not good!”
Victoria, 22, said: “They are great [to look at], but with the angle of the stairs it’s difficult to walk, and you need to concentrate.”
Anthony Agbelusi, visiting from the US, said: “I found it interesting, kind of interesting the way it’s angled. I thought it was funny.”
The 45-year-old added: “You almost have to step sideways… even if you’re rushing.”
A Canadian tourist rushing along with family only gave his name as Alan – but still had time to say they were “dodgy”.
The stairs leading down to Queen’s Walk could have competition for the title of the capital’s worst.
Nancy’s Steps, named after Nancy from Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, are just metres away on London Bridge’s western side.
In the 1968 film adaptation, she is brutally murdered by her husband Bill Sikes on a set of stairs leading up to the bridge.
A plaque claims the scene of the killing in the original novel is Nancy’s Steps. In reality, the novel version had the killing take place in their home.
In fact, people have pointed out that the current London Bridge was only built in the 1970s – 130 years after the novel was written.
Despite enquiries with property companies about people’s complaints, the News did not receive any response.
