Lincolnshire coast WCs
Just had a pleasant few days staying near Sutton on sea. Whilst touring, as often a visit is required to the local WC. Most seem to charge 20p. OK, I'm not opposed to paying if it supports the standard of facilities.
On one occasion we visited Cleethorpes and after eating our lunch on the sea front the coffee was working its way down and we followed the sign to the facilities near the leisure centre, a ten minute walk away. We found as expected a charge of 20p was required......ok no problem until we noticed on the machine it said "CONTACTLESS" ie cash cannot be used, Cards only. Many people were stuck outside unable to use the facility. Do the local council realise that people were waiting until someone came out and sneaking through the barrier as it opened, some set the alarm off and other annoyed people with small children had to take them to the nearby bushes.
What about people that don't even have a contactless card. "What a disgrace"
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Give the next person in the queue 20p and ask them to let you in with their bank card.
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Public toilets around here are mainly 40p cash or card payment. Many locals wont use them as they know where the free toilets in shops are or just pop into pubs etc. Sign of the times I'm afraid, around 10 public toilets have closed or even been demolished over the past few years in my home town.
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Contactless payment is probably only going to grow in use. Not only with cards but also Smart Phones with Google or Apple Pay. You might find this link interesting https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48544695 The problem with cash and public toilets is that it can be target for people trying to steal the money so I can understand why Councils would follow the contactless path for payment. Even car parks and buses now accept contactless payment but not exclusively. Just as an aside I had a new credit card come through the other day and I was surprised it wasn't contactless!!!
David
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The MH Aire I've arrived on today is plastic only, although not contactless despite being only €8 a night.
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A few weeks ago on our visit to Cleethorpes they pulled a body out of the water at the side of the Leisure Centre - probably disappointed at not having a Contactless Card.
Many years ago as a child I didn't realise there was such a thing as Public Toilets - we always seemed to use the nearest 'bush' wherever we went to the Seaside.
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I have never seen a public convenience that accepts cheques
Seriously if councils need to charge in order to keep public toilets open then contactless technology is probably the way to go as its more straightforward than chip and pin. There may also be a cost benefit in terms of charges. David
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I don’t object to paying to use a toilet, but having to pay by card, contactless or otherwise, is just ridiculous. The closure of public toilets generally is much more of a concern, though. It’s not really up to private businesses to provide toilets for non customers, and not being open in the evenings and certain other times is a real issue for someone like me who suffers with IBS-D. Sometimes I need to go urgently, and worrying about a lack of access to toilet facilities just makes the problem worse to the point that I can’t go out. Too much information, I know, but that’s how it’s been for me for at least 45 years.
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More and more places are charging for disability loos as well.
There’s simply no end in this country as to how much money can be extracted from the population, resident and tourist, for whatever purpose. It’s no longer the place I grew up in as a child. ☹️
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On the plus side there is the "Use our Loos" campaign to encourage businesses to allow the public to make use of toilets in their premises without the need to make a purchase. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/08/use-our-loos-campaign-urges-uk-firms-to-open-toilets-to-non-customers
At least we still have a lot of free or minimal cost toilets in the UK. Unlike parts of Europe. It's been a year or two since I was last in Germany but Deutsche Bahn had a fairly standard charge of 80 euro cents, about 50p to use theirs on their main stations.
David
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We have lost most of our local public toilets where I live but there is an agreement that commercial facilities in shops and cafes will provide access and there is a benefit that works both ways with visitors. However in rural coastal areas they are needed.
Years ago I remember using a French café with a group of us, one coffee bought and others heading for the loo which turned out to be a hole in the floor in an unlit understairs cupboard. (I think that comes into a category of it's own.)
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In quite a few places when we were in Sri Lanka it was common practice to give the "attendant" up to 100 rupees (about 50p) for facilities which were, let's be generous and say, basic! Never has my bladder been so stretched whilst waiting to get back to our hotels!
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Best part of 100 years ago it cost 1d to 'spend a penny' so, with inflation, 20p or even 40p is perhaps not that much of a hike in price in real terms. Even with charges, though, some of the public loos leave a lot to be desired.
What I do deplore is the non-stop closure of public loos. Needing to use a toilet is a straight forward biological necessity. We all have to do it. What I would like to know is how the law stands if former facilities, especially in towns, have been taken away and, in dire emergency one has to have a wee in a quiet corner. Would the charge of 'urinating in a public place' be upheld by the court or would they use common sense realising that when you've got to go you've got to go. If the council have closed the facility then you have no other option, especially in the evenings or Sundays when most shops will be closed and there may not be a pub handy.
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