Public toilets again!

[Patbutcherismyhero]

I know this has been done to death on here but am I the only one still worried about lack of public toilets especially now more places are opening? Beaches seem to be opening up a bit more. But the big park local to me (which has been packed throughout lockdown) still hasn't opened its toilets. In the town centre the public toilets aren't open and nor is the library which also had public toilets in it.

So shops are opening but there's nowhere for people to use the loo! Before this you could have just nipped into a cafe or pub for a quick wee but now the ones that are opening are restricting numbers so you can't just walk in.

For people with toilet issues it's so restrictive. I almost feel more trapped now than I did before because the option to go out is now there but with no guaranteed toilets I'm just not brave enough to do it.

So toilets are opening because of all the reasons you mention, might be worth checking you local area.

Well I went to our local park yesterday and the toilets there were still closed. Our town centre has very few public toilets anyway which are all still closed despite a lot of the shops reopening. I hope it's addressed soon but it seems to be a big oversight. I know a lot of people will nip into a McDonald's or wetherspoons quickly to use the loo it out and about but that's not possible now either.

We’ve been to 3x country parks / estates recently & all 3 had toilet facilities. One had portaloos & the other two had the normal toilet blocks open but you could only use every other toilet so you can imagine the queue for the ladies, particularly 2m apart 🙈

It does appear they are opening back up thankfully! Obviously zoos etc will have theirs open so there’s no reason for public ones not to be. So long as they are cleaned and you thoroughly wash your hands, I can’t see the risk?!

www.lockdownloo.com/

Very hard for people who have health problems, but obviously it's a case of distancing (very tight spaces and corridors) and hygiene. I braved town yesterday for the first time (better than I thought but very hot so probably quieter) and made sure I only had a few sips of water for two hours before I left. We did pick up an iced coffee in the last hour in town, but luckily survived without the toilet and didn't feel dehyrated.

Lockdown loo is a fabulous idea! I will certainly be using that.

For most people it's not even something they really think about. But when you have bowel or bladder issues it is a real worry. I panic in normal times wondering where the nearest loo is so knowing most of them are shut just sends me into a spiral of anxiety that makes my condition even worse!

It does look like more are opening which is great. Just seems like a lot of places close to me are a bit behind the rest of the country!

This toilet nonsense has to stop. People are far more likely to have a condition that requires the loo (eg having periods!) than they are to catch covid off a loo seat.

@cologne4711 so true!! A friend of mine works for the local council and her stance was essentially - it's not a priority, keeping people socially distanced is the priority. Well there will surely be bigger issues than covid if people are getting caught short in the town centre. Really annoying but unless you've suffered from a bowel or bladder issue you don't see the necessity.

@Patbutcherismyhero Totally agree with everything you've said and I have exactly the same spiral of anxiety. It's bad enough always having to think about where the next toilet is going to be during normal life. But now everywhere's closed and you're limited to public toilets, it puts real restrictions onto where I'm brave enough to venture. I really feel for elderly people.

In my case, if I knew there were toilets open, I'd probably not even need to use them! But knowing there aren't any sends me into a panic attack which makes me need to go. The thought of that happening in a town centre where there's literally nowhere is just horrendous.

@InYerFace yep that's totally me. I have suffered with this for many years and it has been really restricted where I will go even in normal life. For example long car journeys are a problem for me and I don't like to go on long countryside walks with no facilities. Like you say, it's the panic that creates the urge to go sometimes.

I think it's really unfair. And it must be affecting a lot of people including the elderly and those with young kids. If you're going to open public spaces then give people the facilities they need to use them.

@fortmums Thank you for sharing the Lockdown Loo link. I am of an age where this is becoming more of an issue, and it is the main reason I have stayed away from the town centre even though more shops are now open.

Going in tomorrow to visit the farmers market for the first time for months, so I checked the website. Looks like John Lewis is the best bet, trouble is last time I went past there, there was a huge queue to get in the shop - sigh!

A bucket of human waste was found at one of our local beaches and also lots of waste in a wood near a beach.
I would think giving people somewhere to wash their hands would be a good thing.

@Patbutcherismyhero we sound like we have the same issue! I've had this since I was 17 and had a massive panic attack caused by needing the loo when I was stuck in a traffic jam on a motorway - and I'm in my 40s now.

Ugh, it's just such a horrible thing, isn't it? Car journeys are the absolute worst , but like you I'm just as bad on long country walks or on the plane when the seat belt sign comes on. In normal life it's not so bad as I can plan ahead for long journeys. But now we're in lockdown it's made everything so much harder - I can't exactly take immodium everyday for a simple walk around town.

I went to a local park yesterday and they had opened the toilets but it was disgusting. Can’t believe that someone (a menstruating woman) would leave it in such a state.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-53170844/london-fields-lockdown-park-goers-urinating-everywhere

I really worry about the state of this country. The social fabric just seems to be unraveling.

So many people seem happy to sling their rubbish wheresoever they feel like it, or piss wherever they want, or refuse to cooperate with the police.

The British are like a plague of locusts who leave rubbish everywhere they go. Not to mention urine...

We're a disgusting, slobbish country of drunks by the looks of things.

And of course with what toilets there are open overflowing with pathetic drunks, the civilised people who need them and have conditions that mean they depend on them miss out completely.

England is so broken.

"... piss wherever they want, "

And what are people supposed to do when they've full bladders and there are no toilets open?

I'm sure most people try to find a discreet spot but it's unreasonable to expect people to go for hours without emptying their bladders. It would be reasonable to provide a hygienic location for them to do so.