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Nobody likes taking the Tube in summer during rush hour - but it’s particularly hellish when there are delays.

Yesterday, commuters were stuck underground for over an hour during Monday's morning rush hour after a major power failure crippled three Tube lines.

Tube trains on the Circle, District and Piccadilly lines ground to a halt in tunnels between stations following the signal system shutdown at Earl’s Court station.

While twiddling your thumbs in the tunnel is never an enjoyable experience, there are a few rules of commuting that can stop our journeys going from sea level frustration to absolute rock bottom despair.

Here are the unwritten Tube laws that every commuter should know

1. Food for thought

Keep the odour factor in mind when taking food on the tube. Obviously fish products, cheesy crisps and McDonald’s top the list here - but even if your food has the slightest whiff, do everyone a favour and eat it before going Underground.

2. Be Oyster Card ready

You’ve spent ten minutes idly dawdling in a queue to get to the front of the gates, only to make it to the barriers and realise you don’t know where your wallet is. You fumble through your pockets and bag, scrambling for the whereabouts of your Oyster card, all the while the rest of London is stood behind you waiting. For the sake of everyone else's sanity, get your wallet out before you get in the queue.

3. Don’t talk loudly

While everyone else is respecting the sombre ‘oh my god, it’s Monday’ silence, you’re on your mobile phone squawking about what happened on Eastenders. Keep all correspondence strictly to WhatsApp during the rush hour crush.

4. Always take a tissue

Yes, it’s hayfever season so all the more reason for buying those tissues in bulk. Sneezing onto your hand and touching the communal pole is one thing, but sneezing into people’s faces is a surefire way to ruin someone’s trust in other human beings.

Incredible facts about Hammersmith and City line 10 show all Incredible facts about Hammersmith and City line 1/10 Did you know that... Euston Square Station Opened in 1863 as Gower Street. It was renamed in 1909. Rex Features 2/10 Did you know that... Wood Lane is the newest station on the Underground network, it only opened in 2008 but takes its name from a former nearby station that closed in 1959. Rex Features 3/10 Did you know that... Barbican station replaced a building which claimed that it was originally William Shakespeare's house, although it’s never been officially confirmed. Rex Features 4/10 Did you know that... From 1914 to 2008, Shepherd’s Bush Market was known as Shepherd's Bush. The name was changed to avoid confusion with the Central and Overground line stations of the same name. Rex Features 5/10 Did you know that... Paddington (Bishop's Road) was the terminus for first ever underground line from Farringdon. It opened on 10 January 1863. Rex Features 6/10 Did you know that... Ladbroke Grove includes 'For Portobello Road' in the roundel, one of only three stations to do so and the only one on the Hammersmith & City line. Rex Features 7/10 Did you know that... Paddington station has featured in various works of fiction. The most famous, of course, being the books featuring Paddington Bear himself, who is celebrated with a statue at the station. Rex Features 8/10 Did you know that... Latimer road station is around 500m from road that gave the station its name. Rex Features 9/10 Did you know that... Despite only dating from 1961, Barking's ticket hall has been a Grade II listed building since 1995. Flickr/DiamondGeezer 10/10 Did you know that... In the early 1990s, Hammersmith station's buildings were demolished along with the neighbouring bus garage and incorporated into a modern shopping centre and Underground and bus interchange. During the redevelopment the designers commissioned to undertake the station's re-design, Minale Tattersfield, salvaged parts of the tiling from the Harry W Ford façade showing the station name and the lines serving it and preserved them. They now form a frame to a decorative mosaic of Hammersmith Bridge in the station's north ticket hall. Rex Features 1/10 Did you know that... Euston Square Station Opened in 1863 as Gower Street. It was renamed in 1909. Rex Features 2/10 Did you know that... Wood Lane is the newest station on the Underground network, it only opened in 2008 but takes its name from a former nearby station that closed in 1959. Rex Features 3/10 Did you know that... Barbican station replaced a building which claimed that it was originally William Shakespeare's house, although it’s never been officially confirmed. Rex Features 4/10 Did you know that... From 1914 to 2008, Shepherd’s Bush Market was known as Shepherd's Bush. The name was changed to avoid confusion with the Central and Overground line stations of the same name. Rex Features 5/10 Did you know that... Paddington (Bishop's Road) was the terminus for first ever underground line from Farringdon. It opened on 10 January 1863. Rex Features 6/10 Did you know that... Ladbroke Grove includes 'For Portobello Road' in the roundel, one of only three stations to do so and the only one on the Hammersmith & City line. Rex Features 7/10 Did you know that... Paddington station has featured in various works of fiction. The most famous, of course, being the books featuring Paddington Bear himself, who is celebrated with a statue at the station. Rex Features 8/10 Did you know that... Latimer road station is around 500m from road that gave the station its name. Rex Features 9/10 Did you know that... Despite only dating from 1961, Barking's ticket hall has been a Grade II listed building since 1995. Flickr/DiamondGeezer 10/10 Did you know that... In the early 1990s, Hammersmith station's buildings were demolished along with the neighbouring bus garage and incorporated into a modern shopping centre and Underground and bus interchange. During the redevelopment the designers commissioned to undertake the station's re-design, Minale Tattersfield, salvaged parts of the tiling from the Harry W Ford façade showing the station name and the lines serving it and preserved them. They now form a frame to a decorative mosaic of Hammersmith Bridge in the station's north ticket hall. Rex Features

5. Don’t take up space

If you’re wearing a backpack, remember that you are wearing a backpack. Take it off and sensibly place it on the floor or you'll inadvertently clout people in the face when you try to turn without warning. Commuters also reserve a special fury for people who attempt to get three suitcases onto a train during rush hour

6. Keep the poles communal

When Londoners rally together, everyone gets equal space on the Tube poles to hold on. There may be an awkward brushing of hands, but at least we’re able to stay upright on our journey. On a bad day, one selfish person will use the pole as a resting post, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves. Never be that person.

7. Don't take people watching to a new extreme

We’ve all been there. You’re minding your own business when you notice the person opposite you is staring at you, without shame, for no good reason. Even a pointed 'well then, I'll stare back too' doesn't get the point across. If you're one of these early morning starers, we implore - save people watching for Starbucks.