Loos for whoever

Yes, but they're very badly publicised in my area. Even locals don't know where they are - heaven help the visitors/tourists!

Very sadly, the cost of repairing public loos following acts of vandalism has become prohibitive for many councils. However, a number of shops and pubs have been persuaded to allow the public to use theirs in the absence of public ones.

Hear, hear, grannygear!

The main problem is that no one tier of local government is given the task of providing public loos. County councils, district councils and parish councils are all allowed to provide these necessary facilities but none are required to do so. Perhaps generous members of the public could start providing loos in memory of their loved ones in lieu (ouch!) of commemorative seats. "In memory of X who often walked along this lane and had to pee in the bushes because there were no public toilets."

I'm not kidding. One good thing about motorways is that they have service stations with toilet facilities at regualr intervals. In contrast many A roads have nothing.

Both the IBS Network and the BLadder and Bowel Foundation have I Can't Wait cards available and I would imagine other charities do too.

Thanks Hunt that could be very useful and I don't think DD is aware of that. There are times when she has to have a fixed catheter for a while. That of course removes any urgency, but at those times she tends to be at home so the situation doesn't arise!
Ps - thanks for the flowers, ladies - I'll pass them on. X

You can get a badge which says that you have a medical urgent need to use the loo. Not sure how you get one but my niece has one as she has ulcerative collitis and I will try to find out

Has anyone else seen an article via Radio4 about how one's allowed to say the word toilet on R4 air now instead of lavatory, now that Harriet Cass has left? Why don't we all just say loo?

I use disabled loos too if there's no-one else wanting it. Also the gents on occasion, though not the ones with a wall rack of urinals, just the ordinary loos in separate rooms/cubicles.

A lot of places I go to only have one public loo. One I used yesterday didn't have a sign on the door at all.

And then there are bushes...

I used them too, after my hip operation, while I was still on crutches and found the high level WC more comfortable. The loos on trains are necessarily multi-functional and are spacious enough for a carer to be with a disabled passenger.

I used disabled loos for quite a while after I had my knees replaced because I needed the handles to get up and down. Since then I've used them sometimes with small GS because it's easier than trying to squeeze into a nornal one with him.

POGS believe me with some disabilities it is about the urgency.

It is the thought of the " sprinkles !" that put me off the thought of a universal loo , I have availed of the disabled facilities when desperate , but not to go in when somebody else's need was greater

Agree entirely with disabilities not always being obvious. I have used disabled loos in the past and had tutts and disgusted looks. But if you have to change my stoma bag i need the use of a sink , plenty of time and space to manoeuvre . I do not feel that I should have to explain myself . So please think before jumping to conclusions .

True mcem No one should be made to feel guilty for using a disabled toilet because their disability is not obvious to others. There will always be self centred people who have no regard for anyone but themselves but this doesn't give people the right to police who qualifies for their use.

for your beautiful daughter

mcem .

I would not feel comfortable using a disabled loo if a disabled person was waiting.

I take your point but would just remind you that disability is not always obvious. On a good day when my beautiful daughter actually manages to leave her house for an hour or so she may need an accessible loo urgently and may need a little longer than most of us. Having to use catheters is only one of her problems. She has been told to accept that very soon she'll need a wheelchair. Well there's a real silver lining! Perhaps that will justify 'skipping the queue' ?

Playing devils advocate

Disabled toilets came about surely because being in a wheel chair or requiring a higher toilet and having bars to assist with standing was an excellent idea. Ordinary toilets were totally useless for obvious reasons and they have been a massive help for the disabled to engage in social life without the worry of going to the loo, something we take for granted but not for them I assure you.

If you use a disabled toilet you quite possibly will need quite a little bit of time to do the necessary functions and I can assure you people will not want to queue whilst a toilet for general use is being used for 5minutes by somebody needing assistance whether wheel chair bound or not. It will be a retrograde move and there would soon be somebody saying, 'We want separate loos'.

I do think it stupid though if a disabled toilet is free for it not to be used. I don't see why a disabled person can't wait their turn as it's not about quickness but ability to use a wheel chair or high toilet and bars.

May I just say that disabled (or accessible) loos are not just for wheelchair users but for those who need facilities such as a shelf when dealing with a stoma or other medical conditions.

I agree that cubicles are getting smaller - even in railway stations where there is no room to take a case in with you or a child! Avoiding having to sit on the Sanpro bin is also impossible which ain't nice - and my bum is not overly large; well, not as large as some!

Holly - lucky you! My nephew stopped in here briefly last night in his usual garrulous and hurried manner (wanted us to take photos of him before a night out, I kid you not.) When I went to the loo after he had left, I cursed him from here to eternity . He's 31.

FlicketyB Oh how I agree with you about those inward opening wide doors in loos! I am not a size 14 , but even so am not so huge that I have a problem in normal loos!it means that you or rather your clothes touch the toilet bowl on getting in and again on getting out.Horrible.

Grannyknot - not any more now and no splatters around the toilet - I don't have to keep saying to them 'get the mop and clean that mess up' either; bliss!

Holly no men in your house then?

I just wished the person who designed the Docklands Light Railway had included a few loos for GCs & Grandpas who need them at a moment's notice. A helpful woman told us where we could 'go' & it involved 2 long escalators & some stairs to get to the nearby bus station. Our final destination really needed them too - the new Boris project, the Emirates cable car over the Thames on the north side - for people with a nervous disposition before flying high.

Shhhh !! Hunt if everyone gets a radar key the queues will be as long as the other facilities I'm not referring to those that need it.

I was once in a service area on M3 with mum who was a blue badge holder and had a radar key. One of mum's medical needs meant that when she needed the loo it was urgent. Because it was so busy, able-bodied people were holding the door open for the next person to use the disabled loo meaning mum and another lady were about 8th in a queue. When I said mum needed it. The person just about to enter (20ish glam) replied "we all have to go love" and disappeared inside.