I just found out about this???

In London lots of public loos have been turned into bars, hairdressers... it's annoying.
And lots of pubs and cafes won't let you use the loos unless you buy something.
It's the only reason to love a 'spoons. They always let you!

@Lovesabadboy hopefully the petition will be a success.

😂Haha! It is indeed!
Small world!
Good to hear that there is a petition...fingers crossed.
And if they come back, then I hope that people treat them properly!

@Lovesabadboy if that's the Banbury branch there's a petition to re open the loos 😁
(I have family that live there)
Edit : in Banbury.....not in the loos 😂

Unfortunately, our Sainsbury's has just shut their public loos, permanently.
I have never had cause to use them, but everyone said that they were always filthy , which is purely down to the general public behaving in a foul and disgusting manner.
They have spoiled it for everyone who might have urgent need of access to a loo.
Many people are now no longer shopping in Sainsbury's.

Sadly the risk of not charging is having to close them all together. The visitors make no other contribution towards their upkeep (e.g. via council tax) so though I believe 60p is too much, I do think some charge is justified. Nobody used to baulk at paying a penny when I was young. You just made sure you always had a penny on you when you were out and about. Our main complaint was that we were subsidising the men, who didn't have to pay at all.

You've never heard of needing to 'spend a penny'?

Or this little classic? Here I sit broken hearted, paid a penny and only farted.

You have to have toilets for staff and patrons in any establishment serving food, including supermarkets with cafe areas, in all the states I know of in the US.

Shops and restaurants can refuse to let people come in just to use the loo though, iyswim. But a supermarket would never be able to keep track of your intentions. Gas stations also have loos that are pretty much open to the public even if you just stop for the loo, especially along interstates.

Here I sit, broken hearted
Paid my penny and only...

She "just found out" about something that isn't even true? Weird.

The ones in Covent Garden cost about £2 to use. I remember being outraged and holding it in till we got to the big bookshop on Charing Cross Rd.

If you can find one .... Sometimes you do sometimes you don't.

Different if you have bladder or bowel issues. My sister has one for bowel issues. I opened one once not realising there was someone in there. She was doing her diabetic meds.

All the free public toilets have been closed down, where I live. The train station is 20 pence and we have to buy something to use cafe loos. The only free toilet in our city centre is the library.

In Salisbury they are closing the ones you pay 20p for.Still free by the multi storey car park though. Apparently we have 60% less toilets than 2010 today!

You have to pay 20p to go through turnstiles where I live (midlands)

Usually only in nice ones. Believe me, I would rather pay 20 or 50p for a pleasant toilet than a free grotty one that I'm scared to touch anything in.

Used to have to pay in the big stations. I remember they let me in for free when i was heavily pregnant at Euston. Free to use now though. There are some you have to pay for in parks round London.

I think everyone needs the loo though. I have a key, I’m not disabled but my pelvic floor is weak and I have a prolapse so if I can’t make it to the loo it’ll just start dribbling out and there’s only so much you can do with pads. There’s no public loos after 4/5. I don’t mind paying when open but out of hours a key is a godsend.

Lots of chargeable toilets in Scotland - 15-50p. Charging certainly doesn't make for a clean toilet.

In Netherlands and Germany you normally have to pay to use toilets in motorway services, train stations and shopping centres. Often you get a voucher back for an amount slightly less than what you paid that you can use in food outlets.
Sometimes you need to pay in food places like McDonald’s.
the uk has some places you need to pay but generally it’s a lot less than in Netherlands and Germany.

When I saw the title of this thread my immediate thought was of this very woman at these toilets! Had a similar issue when my daughter was desperate there!

It varies. Get off the train in Leeds and there'll be a platform loo you can use for free. Go through the gates onto the concourse and you'll have to pay. But the equivalent facilities at York station don't cost anything. To be honest, I'm happy to pay; it's better than having grotty conveniences or none at all. On the other hand, many people got out of the habit of carrying change during the pandemic and not everywhere has electronic payment systems for tiny sums.

Because of health problems, I'm used to mapping out the location of loos wherever I go, but not everyone is and as a country that relies on travel and tourism for a decent chunk of our income, I wonder about the impression we give of ourselves when we make it difficult for people to spend a penny. (Or 50p.)

Must have led to a lot of blockages. Tissues are not flushable like toilet paper is.

This is what always happens to me. I stop drinking as I know there are no loos anywhere and then I have a headache later in the day just when I'd like a nice glass of Spanish red. 🙄