Foul deeds galore at the City watchdog: How can we take it seriously after these revelations?

Financial Conduct Authority employees are defecating on toilet floors and leaving alcohol bottles in sanitary bins, according to a staff email. Something has gone awry if this is the norm for custodians of standards, says Chris Blackhurst

Signs of a lack of discipline and poor attitude at the FCA (Rex)

The biggest story in the City these past few days has not been the state of the economy, the value of the pound, the general election or a Chinese firm buying British Steel. It’s staff at the Financial Conduct Authority defecating on the floor in toilet cubicles.

This startling admission was made by the City watchdog’s chief operating officer, Georgina Philippou, in an email to colleagues. She was “ashamed”, she wrote, at the behaviour of a “minority of employees”.

Other offences outlined by the COO included overflowing waste bins; cutlery and crockery left in kitchen areas; people urinating on the floor in the men’s toilets; alcohol bottles left in sanitary bins; and plants and charge cables stolen from desks. Declared Philippou: “This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated here.”