Toilets !!

[satc]

I wonder if there has been any concerns about toilet "rights" for children and pregnant women in public places.

I have had the most unpleaseant experience of after being a customer of Specsavers (having spent over £180) the store manager blatantly refused to let my 2.5 year old (recently potty trained) child use their toilets. She gave the blanket "we are not insured - health and safety reasons". She was also extremely rude but that's another story.

Furious I rang their HQ only to be told that they would rather the child pee on the shop floor that to break health and safety rules. Specsavers are franchised run so each store has it's owner director, the HQ's utmost concern is to keep their franchisee happy.

I have been to stores where a member of staff actually accompanied my son and I to the staff toilet when he needed to use the toilet.

I have since trawled all over the net and have rung the HSE dept, human rights dept, the british toilet association etc etc. The situation is unclear. Whereas business do not have an obligation to let members of the public use their staff toilet because on health and safety grounds, where is the line drawn in respect of children and pregnant women. Can businesses use health and safety as an excuse to "not do anything". Are there any exclusion to health and safety where in certain circumstances, businesses are under an obligation to allow say pregnant women use their toilets. I am still waiting from the department of health to come back with some answers.

Do you have any experience on this issue, and any advise, comments or discussion would be most appreciated.

[BrokenArm]

I bet they are worried about liability insurance. It's the world we live in today.