Taking a trip around your area can be a toiletless nightmare
October 1st 2009 Peter Carrol, media liaison officer and librarian at the British Cleaning Council,
reports on a personal experience of the decline of public toilets within the UK
Earlier in the summer Tim
Farron,Democrat MP for
Westmorland and
Lonsdale, tabled a motion
requesting for government aid
to maintain lavatories in public
places."The decline in the
number of public toilets in
rural areas is the result of the
government passing the
buck,"argued Farron,"groups
such as the elderly, those with
young children and people
with disabilities are particularly
badly hit.The government
needs to act to address this."
The decline in public
conveniences has continued at
an alarming rate, decreasing
from a 15,000 high to 5,500 in
recent estimates.Numbers
peaked during the 19th
century, when toilets were
seen as a key component of
public health."For decades the
provision of good municipal
facilities was a matter of
considerable civic pride," states
Steve Wright, chairman of the
BCC."Now we need to reverse
this decline."
I decided to investigate the
deterioration of the service in
my local area, London's Tower
Hamlets.My first call was a
stroll through Victoria Park.The
public toilet facilities were in
bad shape, their doors locked
with an ominous-looking sign
notifying me that they were
'closed due to maintenance'.
I then took a walk down
towards the shopping
promenade, where I found one
of the modern automated
pods – open for use – but
absolutely filthy. Such
unhygienic toilets are a
breeding ground for infections
and potentially fatal illnesses.
Finally I came across the
public toilet building in Bethnal
Green's Museum Gardens. Its
appearance suggested it had
been closed for decades,
becoming a derelict eyesore – a
magnet for antisocial behaviour,
alcoholics and gangs.
I asked passersby if they
could recommend anywhere
that I could relieve myself;
suggestions were either
McDonalds or the pub.Not a
single person was aware of any
municipal facilities.
A Tower Hamlets
spokesperson later told me
that it closed its two staffed
conveniences in 2007,"due to
high running costs and their
attraction for anti-social
behaviour."
Contrastingly, other London
boroughs demonstrate the
advantages of maintaining
public facilities.Westminster
Council's 40-plus public toilet
facilities serve more than 10
million visitors annually. Nighttime
pop-up urinals prevent
street urination, reducing
maintenance and repair costs.
'SatLav' (text-messaged
directions to the nearest toilet
in Westminster), has also
received encouraging visitor
numbers.
The alleviation of 'bladder
leash' – the constraint on the
distances and duration people
can travel because of the lack
of toilets – is undoubtedly
reflected in borough visitor
numbers. More articles from British Cleaning Council: | 
