Shutting down public toilets.

[Shallwedancetomojito]

Is there really any need for this?

Councils in the UK are shutting down public toilets, shops and dept stores and cafes are going to be closing there's too, even cinemas.

I usually need the toilet as soon as I leave the house.

What about mothers with young children or people with Ibs, just for starters?

Whilst not untrue, the council tax bill does stipulate how much you pay
The vast majority goes to the county council and emergency services. The parish council (which is most likely responsible for the loos in their area) only gets a few pounds. In my area that wouldn’t stretch to paying for the adjustments required to open loos safely.

McDonald’s has already stated their toilets will remain closed once they reopen their restaurants for takeaway next month.

I imagine other cafes/restaurants will follow suit, or at the very least lock them for customer usage only, so random members of the public can’t pop in to use their facilities. It would certainly be easier for them to decontaminate toilets after each use if this was the case.

I went to an out of the way beach at the weekend (in the rain so I knew it would be quiet) and the toilets are open but have a sign stating “use at your own risk as we can’t clean after every visitor”.

I think some spray in each cubicle to wipe down the seat after you use it maybe?

Enjoy that thought @GalwayGrowl

It's 6 months since I last saw my parents who are in their mid 70s and live 100 miles away. I can't even suggest a mid point picnic because of the lack of toilets.

I have similar issues with friends living locally but near a beach. Would love to walk our dogs together but no public toilets and I shouldn’t really go into their house

Petrol station loos have generally stayed open during lockdown. I had to make a long journey last week and used the loos at two different petrol stations.

In both cases they were absolutely fine, and I'm pretty sure that they weren't being cleaned between each user by people in full PPE.

It’s a really serious issue.

As I mentioned in another thread, I live close to a popular park in central London. It’s been very, very busy, with families as well as large groups of young people meeting up for picnics and drinks. There are no toilet facilities and so everyone has been going to the toilet outside as there is no other option.

On weekends I have been going for long walks with my teen DD but we are very much restricted in terms of how far we walk and whether we can have a drink while out, because we know that there are no toilets available.

If you feel strongly about this then contact your council or MP

I’m pregnant and need a wee constantly at the moment. If more loos aren’t opened, I’m going to keep staying in. Cut a trip short today as i needed to get home for the loo.

My husband needed wicked yesterday, and instead of attain gun in the house me and my four year old daughter went along for the ride and stayed in the car and played abit of guess who and such as he only needed to pop in.

Anyways my daughter suddenly said she needed a wee. I went to Matalan (it’s a retail park), no can’t use the toilets. Ran to costa coffee, can’t use the toilets. Every other shop, was either closed or dont have toilets anyways.

So ended up running to Asda a few minutes walk away to use their toilets. Absolutely madness, next time think I’ll stay in the house!

Wicks not wicked 🙃

I understand the reluctance to open toilets but as someone who has a bladder condition I genuinely cannot leave my home without needed to go and I can't hold it. I live rurally so am at least a 20 minute drive from anywhere and unfortunately if I need to go I will have to go behind a bush or somewhere discrete or I'd never leave my house and especially since I'm not shielding I have no reason other than that not to go out. I've been a slave to my bladder my whole life so I'm certainly not going to stay home because of it now, I just go prepared.

FWIW I would NEVER and have never pooed anywhere other than a toilet, I have very good bowel control, just not bladder! I have a medical can't wait card but not much good if nowhere is open to ask to use the loos.

I’m staying safe at home, so no need to be in crowds chugging coffee or sauntering into non essential shops

So am i, so are lots of people...I don’t personally know anyone that wants to go shopping

But the fact still remains that if somewhere opens without toilet access that some people will not be able to go....wherever it is, for however long it is

All toilets in our area are closed and we have a 30min drive to the shops. Thankfully our supermarkets have toilets otherwise I would be stuffed!
I get they have to close but it does make things difficult

@Turbotastic it's surprising how much it affects your life isnt it. I used to dread going anywhere, even really exciting places I'd always wanted to go to because I didn't know if they'd have toilets, if I'd need to go in the car. Thankfully they actually listened to me instead of dismissing it and just sending me away with how to train my bladder, and although I still do worry it's noway near as all consuming. Hope you manage to reach a point where it's easier for you.

‘Chugging’ coffee.

People who stay home ‘drink’ coffee, people who go out during a pandemic ‘chug’ coffee like some big, ugly machine.

The language of these times is fascinating.

I had to drive 20 miles for an MRI scan on Monday, and had planned to do a food shop at a big supermarket on the way back (we only have small supermarkets where we live).

About 10 minutes after I left, I realised I was going to neeed a wee soon. I stopped at a petrol station that has loos, but they were shut, also public ones on a village green en route. I thought about going to Sainsburys and using theirs, but I didn't think I'd be able to hold on if if there was a long queue, plus I wasn't sure if their lavs. So I had to drive home, have a pee, and then drive 10 miles to go to a sodding supermarket.

I was hacked off, mostly with myself, for not having used the bogs at the health centre, and seriously considered taking advantage of a farm track for a wee.

No bogs really restricts how far I can travel (probably a good thing) and how long I can stay out (probably a good thing too) but it's very frustrating.

Public toilets would be a huge health hazard (well, more than they usually are.). Are people seriously expecting poverty wage labourers to maintain them during a pandemic? They would have to wear full PPE and clean the entire room after each toilet user. For £8 an hour. Would you do it? Why not? Plus, the machines that blow the toilets air forcefully to dry hands .

Seriously, full PPE to clean a toilet? I can just imagine handing the guys I work with a full hazmat suit to clean the toilet; they'd think I'd lost my mind. I think we'll manage just fine with a pair of rubber gloves and careful handwashing. I'm sure somehow we'll continue to resist the temptation to lick the toilet. And yes, I will be taking a turn cleaning the toilets as usual and will be paying myself far less than £8 an hour for the forseeable future.

I’m staying safe at home, so no need to be in crowds chugging coffee or sauntering into non essential shops.

Good for you. We're a 'non essential' shop and will be re-opening next week. I'm grateful for the people who have contiued to buy via mail order throughout the lockdown; it's helped a small business stay afloat and keep 6 people in employment. Some of our staff are struggling to pay their bills on 80% furlough wage, so we do need to re-open. I hope plenty of people 'saunter' our way when we do.

I've light mix incontinence so public toilets have been always a big issue for me, not only the availability but the long lines too. Wearing some protection helps but I cannot trust them so much for several hours without a change, I would need much more bigger ones and even if wearing these could be not a real problem, beyond some discomfort, at one point there's need to change them. There are people in my family and relatives with more serious bladder problem too so I know for a fact they need bathroom frequently too.
That is not a solution, it's a good one only occasionally, not for a busy everydaylife since holding urine is not healthy and dirty protections lead to UTI, not to mention constant fear of leaks and anxiety.
As a fact public toilets are very dangerous for the spread of the virus, I think it's right to close them and now I wouldn't use these anyway, until stay out for many hours is not a necessity.
I'm really worried about the future when life will be (almost?) the same as before. Start thinking about different toilet with automatic sanitisation, probably larger, is something that should be done just now.

I pissed myself yesterday in the supermarket car park. It's humiliating.

I did that on Friday. Did a (properly distanced) walk with a friend. He was 90 mins late (I waited because he'd had some bad news and was in a bit of a state).... Besides, he kept insisting that he was "nearly there." So we went for our walk through the park and about halfway through, I realised that I was not going to make it. I was already past the point where nipping into the bushes was possible (which I hate, but if I must, I must).

Had my friend been on time, I might have made it, but as it was, I squelched along for over a mile, past places where I might have been able to go, but they were all locked up.

No, not going out with him again. Not on that walk anyway.

I have also wet myself several times over the years :(

I've seen toilet pods in Paris and in London, which are automatically washed down between each use. You need to pay for the, but I wouldn't mind that.

Well I do pay my council tax, so if I go into town again I'll be popping into the council to use their toilet.

Love it!

Well they can't effectively clean of socially distance when using toilets. Rock and a hard place I'm afraid.

If it stops people going to beauty spots and mixing socially then maybe a good thing?

I'm 30 weeks pregnant and this actually stops me going out for walks etc because there are just no toilets anywhere! I work predominantly outdoors as well, it's such a worry on my way to work in case the public toilets aren't open. I'm torn between staying hydrated or having to wee in a bush if there's no loos 😳

@pinktaxi That’s not the point, I can’t go and do a simple Tesco slot as if the urge takes me I can’t wait. I can’t go anywhere unless I know I can use the bathroom .
Can you think of anything as embarrassing as needing to use a loo bit for pee and the urge being so wrong you are worried you are going to defecate on yourself??
Nothing else on my life is very remarkable, I’m very average. If Tesco can open surely the toilets can be cleaned & I can be trusted to wash my hands .