Public Loos

I visited our local Park and although they have outside toilet and also a toilet within the cafe neither of them were open. My friend needed a toilet but queuing outside the local supermarket was not an option so after having our lunch we had to return back to my home for her to use toilet before the 1 hr journey home. I feel that if there are washing facilities they should leave the toilets open.

I think you can phone your local council they should be able to tell you where there are open toilets.

Public loos have never been closed in my district. They are needed by delivery drivers and other essential workers who might be working long shifts away from home. They can no longer just pop into a cafe, pub or shop.
OK its not ideal - but for some it is a necessity.

They are cleaned by a specialist cleaning company.

JuliaM. Those fully automated toilets sound excellent except for opening after 5 minutes.

Some people take longer than that and they could be caught literally with their pants down if the door opened before they were finished.

I had my eyes lasered yesterday. I keep a bucket and toilet roll in the car with had wipes. I have got to look for my shee wee so that I can put that in too.

We used to have some fully automated Public toilets around the various areas of Derby, mostly around the shopping centres and outskirts of the city. They were coin operated stainless steel tardis units, rather like a perminantly plumbed in Porta-loo, but with extras. On inserting your coin on the slot on the outside of the capsule,the door would open and the light would come on. The door automatically closed then you had 5 mins to use the Toilet, before the door would automatically re-open and you could exit. Each one had its own sink, soap dispenser and hand drier, Toilet paper was dispensed by a machine on the push of a button, and when you finally exited, the Toilet would perform its Automatic deep cleaning mode using steam jets and blown air dryer jets to sterilise itself. The downside was that they took about 8 mins per cycle to use and self clean, they cost 50p a go, and in some areas they were removed due to being used for vice and drug taking dens. However, they would be perfect for the
purpose of providing a freshly sanitised toilet for each person that needed to use one.

Oops: didn’t mean to reply with quote etc.....

Who do we expect to put themselves at risk by cleaning these loos? If it isn’t safe for children to go to school surely it isn’t safe to be doing something as intimate as cleaning lavatories.

Legs55

I believe the loos in Teignmouth & Dawlish, Devon have never been closed.

Dartmoor National Park have re-opened some of the loos in the Car Parks (Pay & Display), slightly confusing as some only have Disabled ones open & puzzlingly in one Car Park it's Disabled & Gents but not Ladies

I have IBD & carry a card from Crohn's & Colitis UK requesting access (where practicable, excludes places such as Banks, Pharmacies where security may be an issue), I also have a RADAR key.

ASDA & Morrisons loos have remained open, Wilkos & ALDI closed theirs.

Because I can suddenly need to "go" I usually know the location of the nearest loos wherever I am.

Going behind a bush is fine if you're out in the country & can hide from view but only for a wee, anything else please clean up after yourself as you would a dog (apologies if that offends), I grew up in the country & as a child we went camping, usually pitching the tents in a Farmer's field, no fancy campsites but that was in the 1960s

You can sanitizer a public toilet as much as you like but the virus can still live in the air for quite a long time and most toilets don’t have opening windows so a flow of air is impossible. I won’t be using a public toilet for the foreseeable future so that rules out shopping, cinemas and theatres if and when they reopen. Ditto country parks. Maybe we need more of those outside toilets that they have in France that automatically clean themselves when you leave them.

Well I have got to the age of 76 and have learnt something new. I never knew that betting shops have public loos but it makes sense i suppose. Not that I have ever been in one.

The French are great ones for diving behind bushes to spend a penny when travelling. When i was 15 I spent the summer living with a French family and they used to jeer at me when we went out because I wouldn't go behind a bush to spend a penny. Their public toilets aren't the most sweet smelling these days either.
Surely public toilets could be reopened if the councils would spend more on keeping them clean?

Toilets have been closing for years with the flimsiest of excuses. I bet most of the council-run ones will never reopen

Well if you can find a bush first!

- icanhandthemback That made me smile!!

I've bought a Female Urine Funnel because I went out the other day and got caught short. It was all rather embarrassing so when I got home I ordered the funnel so I can at least be comfortable in the knowledge I can find a bush somewhere if needed. It is small, squashable and washable enough to fit into a handbag so it seemed a reasonable purchase along with some face masks...hope I don't get them mixed up!

I live in a seaside town. Some are open, others not.

I believe the loos in Teignmouth & Dawlish, Devon have never been closed.

Dartmoor National Park have re-opened some of the loos in the Car Parks (Pay & Display), slightly confusing as some only have Disabled ones open & puzzlingly in one Car Park it's Disabled & Gents but not Ladies

I have IBD & carry a card from Crohn's & Colitis UK requesting access (where practicable, excludes places such as Banks, Pharmacies where security may be an issue), I also have a RADAR key.

ASDA & Morrisons loos have remained open, Wilkos & ALDI closed theirs.

Because I can suddenly need to "go" I usually know the location of the nearest loos wherever I am.

Going behind a bush is fine if you're out in the country & can hide from view but only for a wee, anything else please clean up after yourself as you would a dog (apologies if that offends), I grew up in the country & as a child we went camping, usually pitching the tents in a Farmer's field, no fancy campsites but that was in the 1960s

no reason why they can’t open with everyone taking responsibility for cleaning and wiping down

Is that a pig I see flying over?

??

If only it were that simple.

This is a real problem for many, including me! I dare not go to the out-of-town supermarkets at the moment. I rang one chain to ask whether the toilet was open at my local superstore but, of course, it was a generic phone number and she had no idea whether the store’s would be open or not. I know that the operator was trying to be helpful when she suggested I asked at the store when I got there, but I just can’t risk it! Oh the joys of getting older...

There are loos open in Tunbridge Wells where I live- I went in one with gloves on which I ditched before washing hands and opening the door with some paper which went in the bin!

We all know that pre-lockdown if you went to the cinema or a NT property, shopping centre or seaside, during the day the vast majority of people had grey hair so if BJ & Co want to get the economy going they need to sort out the loos or we shall all be staying at home!

Please be explicit GrowingOld Disgracefully. Is a long plastic poncho part of the kit?

Even the very smallest campervan has a toilet. I predict a big sale for campervans if ther public toilet situation does not improve.

There is no need for public toilets to be unpleasant or unhygienic. It is a matter of how much money is spent on their maintenance including a permanent well paid attendant..

I feel the lack of loos could be considered discriminatory as many people with an assortment of conditions need quick access and are being prevented from basic activities such as shopping because of current lack of access. I only have a small capacity and dread the weekly shop, particularly if I'm going to have to wait in cold wet weather and wait in the queues for the supermarkets.
My sisters and I used to have regular meet ups, usually involving a shopping or garden centre trip, or National Trust visit, with the usual use of cafe and toilets wherever we visited. All 3 of us are similarly afflicted with quick need to go problems. Now that we can meet up outside, we tried to plan a meet up again but have had to abandon the idea because of lack of toilets. Opening up toilet provision again needs to be addressed alongside opening shops etc.
I have bought one of those Shewee things, but they need practice and a suitable cover to use them behind, and so far I have only had limited success with the practice results, the details of which I will spare you all from!

I also cant believe that annifrance squats behind a bush. I could never do that. I remember having to do it as a child and being unable to 'go'! I would worry about being seen and also think its disgusting to leave something like that on the ground.

Most public toilets are shut because they are such a health hazard. The market traders' loo in Wuhan was suspected as a transmitter of the virus. I'd rather stay indoors and just have short walks outside, with all my shopping delivered.