Do you live in Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow? Are you interested in helping increase the number of public toilet facilities available to your community? 3 x £100 vouchers to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

In a recent survey of Mumsnet users, we found that the majority of children have needed to go to the bathroom within just 30 minutes of leaving the house and seven in ten parents say not being able to find a toilet in time has resulted in their children doing a ‘wild wee’.

The Use Our Loos campaign, in collaboration with the Great British Toilet Map, has seen almost 12,000 locations, including high street businesses across the nation, sign up and open up their doors to those in need.

As part of the Use Our Loos programme, Domestos are looking to recruit 300 parents to volunteer to carry a “B-Loo-tooth” enabled Use Our Loos button while out and about throughout the month of October, clicking the button once when your child needs to go and you can’t find a loo and twice if you find a local business that lets you use their facilities. You’ll need to download simple app to work with the button; more details to follow.

For this pilot study, we’re looking for parents in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow only. If you’d be interested in taking part, please click here to sign up. We’ll be in touch within the next couple of weeks if you’re selected with more information.

All who take part in the button study across the month will be entered into a prize draw where three participants will each win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Here’s what Domestos has to say: “Over the past 20 years there has been a 39% closure rate of council-funded loos in England, Scotland and Wales. That’s why, last year, Domestos and the British Toilet Association launched Use Our Loos, a programme to encourage local businesses to open their doors - for free - to the public when they’re in need of the loo.”

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

[BackforGood]

Hmm. I'd be interested in supporting a campaign to ensure there is a usable toilet in every town / park / High Street etc., but I don't think getting businesses to let people use their toilet's is the way to do it. That's going to create all sorts of issues.

[leaserspottedmummybird]

I'd never use a public loo or allow my child to use one.i can't imagine businesses allowing members of the public in general to use their facilities. Think of the mess and germs.

[Mxyzptlk]

Campaign for toilets - yes.

Campaign for public use of toilets in businesses - no.

Is the idea to harass business owners to do this?

I have no problem nipping into a large business, like Wetherspoons or Tesco, to use a loo but wouldn't expect to do so in a small café or shop.

[GloGirl]

In every toilet I've used on a premises with my child, (and theres been a few!) I'd be loathe to publicly advertise that. They're normally small businesses built on community and making it available to anyone off the street to use it as often as they like is different. Eg I think 3 of them have doubled up as stock rooms! Not hygienic for stock, or safe for members of the general public to access but I was grateful nonetheless.

I'm also very aware having a number of family members who have Chrons, IBS, BAD that legitimate public toilets in every high street are very important, and sadly lacking.

[singtanana]

Are you including accessible toilets? I’m all up for making more public toilets available but in some ways consider myself lucky that I have the option of a wild wee for my children. Please can we look at ensuring there’s accessible toilets for all.

[Catmaiden]

Are these toilets single sex or by self identified gender choice?

[SamBeckett]

I do not have children but a very weak bladder , can I still take part ( I live in Manchester) .
I second what PPs are saying about business allowing us to use their loos.
Supermarkets = no problem, big pubs = fine, smaller pubs = ok as long as you ask 1st , cafe's = only if you buy something ( not the cheapest thing on the menu ) other random business = no.
Ideally we need proper public toilets, council run toilet blocks , I wouldn't mind paying as long as it wasn't v expensive and nowadays contactless payment should be made available to stop us having to hunt for change.

[Bezalelle]

Terrible idea, for all the reasons already mentioned.

[Bezalelle]

And clearly a ploy by Domestos to sell more bleach to the poor business owners who have their bogs pebbledashed by members of the public!

[Yerroblemom1923]

A great idea. Many people have bowel issues and toilets are important. And to those saying they'd never use/ let their children use a public loo....well, they're v lucky to have the luxury of being able to wait. Not everyone has that. My toilet-training 2 year old needed to go when she needed to go!

[OwOwOwOwOw]

Awful idea to try to make up for local authorities shirking their responsibilities to provide safe single sex toilets.

[conderellainyellakissedafella]

Why not get domestos to use some of their profit to get together with local councils and fund (and clean) public toilets.

If I were a small business owner who graciously allowed a member of the public to use my loo in an emergency, I'd be seriously pissed off if people suddenly started turning up because somebody had pressed a button twice on an app and deemed my establishment a free for all. Just sayin..

[conderellainyellakissedafella]

@OwOwOwOwOw I've never met anybody , male or female, comfortable with the idea of using a single sex toilet.

[GwenCooper81]

I work in a small business. We've had our toilet smeared in poo by a member of the public we had kindly let use it. Dirty pants left in the bin and the sink bypassed, along with all of the cleaning products we store in there.Yuck.
More council run toilets are needed. It's not fair on small business to open them up to all and sundry. So many issues.

[OwOwOwOwOw]

Condarella I don't know how you've managed that, unless these people are all male, as all the women and children I know, cant stand the stench of male toilets.

You've never met anyone comfortable with using single sex toilets.... very odd circles you travel in

I am one woman you know now of that cant stand the thought of sharing toilets with men.

Women and children are vulnerable to assault, and need their own space.

I also meet women and children in single sex toilets (all my life) who are very relaxed and comfortable with beingnin single sex toilets, and changing rooms, etc. Especially when it comes to needing sanpro or struggling with leaking etc, pregnancy sickness and so on, or even having to bf in a loo.

[cinderellainyellakissedafella]

@OwOwOwOwOw yes very weird circles that prefer separate male and female toilets. For shame!

[DreamingBe]

Getting local businesses to let people use their toilets isn't going to fix the problem of councils shutting down public toilets in parks set in the middle of residential areas.

[turnthebiglightoff]

L

[OrangeSamphire]

This campaign really needs to include the need for Changing Places toilets. Can I ask Domestos and the British Toilet Association why it does not?

[CodLiverOil556]

I received my button today - will use it when we go out and about over the month

[Lunafortheloveogod]

A fair amount of shops will allow a child.. for the obvious reason like if they have an accident they then have a mess to clean and the parent will likely leave without a purchase rushing out. But they don’t advertise it for a reason. Staff haven’t time to give guided tours to the loo because someone’s app says it’s ok here.

Really we need more actual public loos, locally we have one public loo block (no disabled) for the entire town. It’s only open Monday - Friday 9-5 and Saturday 10-2. There’s no other guaranteed access to one, unless you’re willing to trek to the cafe 15 minutes away and buy something.. now that with a toddler who’s decided they need to go now isn’t practical.

[Coffeeonthesofa]

There is already a scheme like this in less populated parts of Scotland I can’t recall what the scheme’s name is but businesses will allow people to use their toilets, and display a sign saying that they do so. I’ve used it myself on holiday on the west coast where there areas with no public toilets.
I don’t know if the businesses get any credit for this, maybe they hope that it will encourage extra trade.

[MutedUser]

Small businesses without public toilets in them can’t always and shouldn’t have to let the public use their toilets. Ours is in the staff room with all our private belongings . Do you think staff can leave the shop floor and close the shop to escort members of the public to the toilet and stand and wait with them to make sure no one touches stock or private belongings. Never mind how unsafe that is for the actual staff .

[Arnoldthecat]

I dont think we should be seeking to compel them to let anyone use their loos other than customers.

Living in Manchester i can remember an era of plentiful underground victorian public loos in all area of the city centre. They had lovely victorian tiling, polished brasswork penny in the slot cubicles (old penny) and an attendant who kept them perfectly clean.

What has happened is a degeneracy in what passes for society and council cuts leading to them closing all those old public loos down. I bet they are still there under the city streets but the entrances have just been paved over.

You cant have public loos now as so many would be vandalised, used for dubious sexual liaisons and for drug taking/dealing..etc..

[allymcbeal1]

CA12-5 high levels and slightly anaemic