General Chat

Dear All

Hello

This is not a cheeky question!

Seriously, what do folk think of public facilities, especially for young children and disabled?

Do shops, theatres, cinemas etc provide good facilities in your area?

Best wishes
xx

There not too bad in Uxbridge

But have been places there are very bad.

Hazelx

Those few shops who do are heaps better than the unhygienic council ones. Tere is one in Hereford that has the loo roll in a holder outside the toilets and you have to take sufficient paper when you go in! How do you know?

Dear Treehunter and Jean in Monmouth

Hello

Yep, I have found that myself.
No paper in the toilet!

Its also very difficult for men on their own when their children need the toilet. Where can they take them?

Best wishes
xx

Elizabeth,I think most of public toilets are a disgrace.Compared to other countries toilets (Europe) that I have frequented ,they put us to shame.
One public loo in Berlin I visited,had the lady at the door,and as soon as a cubicle was vacant she whipped in with a cloth to check and then waved you in.There was air freshener,and at the sink was soap in a pump bottle and hand lotion too !!!!!

As I have written on here before,Petersfield has free urinals for men but women have to pay 20p to use a uni-sex toilet.I will not spend money in Petersfield.

Wetherspoons are always top class

well that pulled the flush on that thread!!!!!

There used to be a marvellous poem about ladies loos, if anyone recalls it please put it on....its hilarious...

Well you want to go to Greece you will find the public toilets will have a hole in the floor and if you are lucky a hose pipe next to it????

Most of the toilets in Corfu were ok, just the usual rules about loo paper in the bin, not flushed away altho they are slowly replacing the sewers with larger pipes so that flushing becomes the norm. Some of the loos in bars and restaurants were ok and some were basic and tatty but when you need to go, you need to go!

I try to use the loos in our local shopping malls as they are usually ok and free too

I think during shopping hours Norwich is well supplied but once the shops close, it's a different matter. Many of the public toilets have been closed for years so not sure how I would manage if I was on a night out without fighting my way to pub loos which are often quite dreadful.

Lizx

Excuse the pun, pmsl!
just found this in local online paper!

Norwich toilets could be privatised

04 December 2009


Cash-strapped City Hall is considering the possibility of privatising Norwich's public toilets - which could see people charged to spend a penny.

A report into the state of the council-owned public conveniences has concluded that, with no cash in the coffers to improve the toilets, other alternatives, such as outsourcing toilet provision to a private company, could be the solution.

The majority of the city council's public toilets are described as “dated” in the report, but the ones in Tombland and St Saviours Car Park, off Magdalen Street, have been identified as not fit for purpose.

The working group which has looked into the issue has recommended those two toilets for closure from the end of the financial year.

The idea is that closing them would free up cash to better maintain other public toilets, such as the well-used ones at the Provision Market, dubbed as dated, and the automated toilet in Prince of Wales Road, which has a history of being occupied by homeless people, and criticised for constantly breaking down.

In the group's report, which will go before the city council's scrutiny committee next Thursday, it is suggested that by outsourcing toilet provision “the facilities can become self-funding as charging becomes possible, and this would enable a higher level of supervision and cleanliness/updating for the larger facilities.”

However, the report adds: “Capital investment would be required at start up with an agreed level of income that may require some council subsidy and a budget of over £200,000 would be required per annum for the first few years of the scheme.”

Councillor David Bradford, who chaired the working group, stressed the working group's conclusions were only suggestions to inform future council decisions.

But he said: “This has been purely to look at the issue, but you do not have to look far to see not many of the public toilets in Norwich are good enough.

“The city council is cash-strapped, so there's no money to improve them, but we wanted to start a debate about how toilets are provided, where and by whom.

“With the privatisation idea, a similar thing happened with the bus shelters, with Adshel taking them on because of the potential for advertising, but I do not know how that might work, if at all, with the toilets.

“I don't think we have got any toilets which are in a condition which would make a private partner want to take over the running of them.

“But if a private contractor thought building new toilets was a viable option and it was acceptable in planning terms, then I'm sure that would be looked at.”

The group also looked at closing all the toilets, which it deemed “inappropriate” and has also considered a community toilet scheme, which has been developed in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. That council has put in place funding to promote businesses which have toilets, paying them an amount to make them available to the public while the council helps produce publicity for the scheme.

But the working group at City Hall felt, although that was a good scheme, it could not see the merit of pumping cash into facilities which are already available.

The city council currently has eight public toilets serving the city within the inner ring road area.

They are at the Provision Market, Tombland, St Saviours, in the multi storey car parks in St Giles and St Andrews, Chapelfield Gardens and two in Prince of Wales Road - the automated one and the 'butterfly' urinal.

The working group acknowledges that the current financial position of the council, which is trying to plug a £6.3m hole in its finances, means there is no cash to improve the “run down” toilets straight away.

But the group also says an “urgent review” is needed of requirements for the night time economy area, with a need to look at both temporary and permanent toilets and how they could be funded, possibly by getting businesses to subsidise them.

The group is also recommending better advertising of toilets, including the ones provided in shops and places such as The Forum, while the council should also focus on tackling anti-social issues which affect public toilets.

In September the British Toilet Association launched a campaign called 'Where can I go?' urging councils to provide better public toilets.

Mike Bone, from the association, said: “In past 10 years 40pc of public toilets have closed, so anything which could be done to prevent closing them is to be welcomed.

“Providing it is a nominal fee, say 20p, then it is better to have toilets outsourced rather than them closing. We do find that contractors elsewhere provide a good service, because if they do not perform then the contract can be taken away from them.”

Would you be happy to pay to spend a penny? Write to Evening News Letters, Norwich

Mrs Jolly, do you mean this one? -

Oh dear what can the matter be?

seven old ladies locked in the lavatory.

They were there from Monday to Saturday

Nobody knew they were there..........


xxxxxxx mick

Public toilets are a disappearing breed.

There used to be three between home and work (a 42 mile trip), at Ongar, Abridge and Finsbury Park.

The Abridge and Finsbury Park ones have gone so over time, for example, I've had to use a pub at Abridge, the flying club at Stapleford, ask at a factory in Walthamstow, or use a hedge in the country lanes, not always easy when you've got several layers of motorcycle gear on.

No Mick it was a lengthy poem , I was sure I had a copy....

I have just bought a Radar key, enabling you to use any disabled toilet anywere in the country. it cost 2 or 3 pounds its rather large but that would be good for folk who have trouble holding anything.... hope there are some loos left...lol....to find out more about it just google radar key.

Jean x

There Is In Peterborough a Loo ,the entrance of, that was re-sited..
it is now INSIDE a car park.
there WAS another (underground one) that was closed, and the above is about a half mile away.....
Now because it was upgraded, they now charge for its use.
However for drivers needed to go, (according to a council person on the phone) you are obliged to park, and PAY a parking fee BEFORE using said facility!!!

Bob

Jean is this what you were thinking of? always makes me laugh..........

When you have to visit a public loo, there's invariably a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. When it finally gets to your turn, you check for feet under the cubicle doors. Every one is occupied, but eventually a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving.

You get in to find the door won't lock. It doesn't matter the wait has been so long you're about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' is handy, but empty. You would hang your handbag on a door hook, if there was one, but there isn't, so you carefully but quickly drape it around your neck, yank down your pants, and assume The Position.

In this position your ageing, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay loo paper on it, so you hold The Position.
To take your mind off your trembling thighs for a moment you reach for horror of horrors an empty loo paper dispenser. Your thighs start to shake more. You remember the tiny tissue you blew your nose on yesterday the one that's still in your handbag, which is now burning your neck and shoulders with the weight. So you contort your arm into a very unnatural position and start to fumble around in the deep, dark depths of your handbag for that small, crumpled 'used' tissue no bigger than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door and because the latch doesn't work it hits your head, which is bent over from holding the hanging handbag, and you start to topple backward. "Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door and drop the precious, tiny, crumpled tissue you had only just retrieved with your index finger into an unknown puddle on the floor. If that isn't enough you lose your balance altogether and gravity pulls you down directly onto the loo seat.

It's wet, of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form that lives on the uncovered seat. By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the loo is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose into the bowl, which sprays a fine mist of water that covers your bottom and runs down your legs (along with the various life forms) into your dishevelled pants, which have now dropped to your ankles. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty loo-paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet loo seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe yourself with a piece of chewing gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out conspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the taps, so you rub your hands underneath it, grateful for the two drops there, then around the basin itself.

You go to the towel dispenser, past the line of women still waiting where, of course, there are no paper towels. So you move over to the hand dryer, which, yes, you've guessed it, also doesn't work. You are no longer able to smile politely to the women, but there is an unspoken understanding between you all.

A kind soul at the very end of the line points out that you have a piece of loo paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you needed it?)

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used and left the Men's. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long,... and why's your handbag hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public loos. It also finally explains to men what really does take us so long, and also answers their other frequently-asked question about why women go to the loo in pairs.

It's so the other one can hold the door, hang onto your handbag and hand you tissue under the door!

Mau ;O) x

West Quays Shopping Centre in Southampton, have very good facilities. I was in there the other day, and two women came around and was cleaning and putting new paper in the loos.
They seem to come around every few hours to see if all is well. Also a note up to say if not clean phone the number provided.

One of the toilets on Southampton Common had to be knocked down though ,as it was being used for Cottaging.

Thanks Mau, this is the one, wonder how many of us can identfy with it....lol....still find it hilarious.....


Jean x

Glad it was the right one Jean..........and with the all day Christmas shopping frenzies at the moment we girls can 'engage' in quite a few 'vacant' conversations lol ;O) x