I just found out about this???

I think it also depends what kind of usage they get. I'm in Cumbria and the loos in the Lakes, in particular, get massive use because of the number of tourists, and, sadly, also massive abuse. Repair and maintenance costs must be huge.

And yes I agree I would rather pay for clean loos than them not being clean or not have them at all. It isn’t much and you can pay on your debit contactless.

I do think blokes are less bothered. There’s a hotel just down from those loos (Royal Dunkeld) whose toilets are just in the door. In the season you see whole coach loads of tourists queuing for a free wee.

How long ago was that? All toilets in Bowness and Windermere are card only and have been for a while. 60p.

Only some places like tourist destinations. A lot of the train stations we stop at up north you don’t have to pay never have. I have a radar key to access disabled toilets for when I’m out with my DC as they have disabilities. But I don’t use it if they’re not with me. But we usually rely on supermarkets and pubs.

Not seen it for ages now. People don't generally have coins. The ones I remember were at train stations like Waterloo but they're free now

Perth council have closed other loos though in Crieff and Auchterarder. I’m happy enough to pay for a clean loo tbh. They do have comfort schemes where local business let you use the loos for free.

Discovered that there are loos in Covent Garden that cost £1.50

No idea if they're worth it

I think it must vary by region because in the Lake District where I am, free toilets are rare. Normally there's a 50p charge. I tend to go under the barrier. I already pay one of the highest rates of council tax in the country for my fairly average 3 bed property so the council/ LDNPA can fuck off charging me for a wee as well!

sometimes yes, and it's becoming more common.

Perhaps the cost is to have doors and walls down below your knees. I find American public toilets (and in bars etc) very lacking in privacy.

We could only find one public loo in Windermere and that was 50p card only. When I came out there was a lady even older than me (67) she didn't have a card so I paid. Really don't know what they expect people to do.. So £1.50 for me, dh and random lady to have a wee. Extortionate.

I would say I've noticed this being more prevalent in european places I've visited - Italy, Germany, etc I've paid to use toilets. Got caught short in Budapest once and ran into a Mcdonalds to use the toilet and there was a guy with a little till outside the toilet taking €2 off everyone!

I was shocked when I visited Stockholm. All the public toilets charged a fee (quite high), and I didn't have coins, so went for a McWee and the cubicles in McDonalds had coin slots on!
On another occasion needed a wee so stopped at a small independent cafe, went to visit their toilet and it was pay also!

I prefer the ones you pay for and will seek them out. They’re well kept and don’t have queues (mostly).

I don't mind paying 50p for decent, clean facilities but my OH flat out refused to use these very toilets at Dunkeld. He came marching back across the car park muttering to himself. I guess many men are less bothered about the quality of the facilities.

All the fancy, single toilets in Plymouth on the Hoe are 50p, mostly contactless card that doesn't always open the toilets. It's a long walk into the City for the free ones. Think they're 20p on the Barbican.

It depends. Some you do. Some you don't. At the seaside for example there's a resort I go to with lots of free toilets and just one that you have to pay to use. However, when I visited Holland 30 years ago I went in Macdonald's over there and outside the toilets was a woman sat at a table and you had to pay her before going in the toilets. I'm not aware Macdonald's have ever charged in the UK.

You used to have to pay at Liverpool Street - 20p I think - but you don't now. They still play weird birdsong on a loop though.
The only one I know of where you have to pay near me is at Frinton on Sea. "Harwich for the Continent, Frinton for the incontinent" as they used to say.

@PonyPals

You can buy a "radar" key by post for a few £££ which gives you [free thereafter] entry to accessible toilets without any need to provide any evidence of impairment!

These toilets are usually spacious and clean. None that I have ever seen though have "baths" in them! The advantage is too that when the main building is locked the key still opens the door to the room

I'm very happy to pay! it's usually 20p or 50p and this means that once you are in it is unlikely to be in an awful state that you can't bear to use. I have seen some really disgusting public toilets in my life - places where someone took a dump missing the toilet bowl entirely, or left pools of vomit, or urinated in a corner if the stalls were full, or where people kept using a toilet despite its flush being broken, until the bowl is full to the brim with shit and paper. When there is paid access there generally aren't these problems, and they are cleaned more reliably.

The ones on the embankment in London waiting for The London eye are £1. Lots of tailgating goes on.
It's a bit hit and miss. In shopping centres they are normally free but touristy spots often have a small charge.

UK Train stations scrapped charges in 2019.

Edited to add UK

This almost ruined a city break to Malaga. We only found 2 public toilets about a 40 minute walk from one another in a city the size of Bristol, and most restaurants and cafes have someone on the door to greet you, so you can't just use their toilets. Thankfully we got a city centre air bnb so could head back to use that when needed, and would definitely aim to do the same next time. A lack of toilets can cause people to get purposefully dehydrated in a hot climate.

In some popular cities you do so that is why there is often a big queue in Marks and Spencers

I'm sure she'd really appreciate being called a 'dragon of a woman' just because she's doing her job. You never know if she, or somebody she knows, might read this. I think you've been quite rude. She let you in without payment for goodness sake.