UK faces public toilet crisis and people are being forced to 'stay indoors'

Pensioners have been forced to stay in or avoid drinking before going out as they demand more public toilets. 81 per cent of Londoners think that provision of public loos in their borough is bad, according to new research,

Campaign group Wales Senior Forum said public washrooms across the country had either shut or become less accessible. Martin Carroll, 75, told the BBC: "It’s very difficult. Before you go out you need to think about where you are going to go, where you are going to be in town, will there be the chance to use the toilet in a café of not?"

He added that sometimes he instead opted to stay home as it was easier than "constantly worrying." One older Londoner told Age UK London: "Lack of clean, accessible public toilets traps people at home and prevents them getting out and about. It affects more of us than you might imagine."

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Chief executive of Age UK London Abigail Wood said: "Good public toilet provision is a hallmark of a civilised society and the fact that 81 per cent of people think that the availability of toilets in their borough is bad is a scandal."

She added: "The ‘loo leash’, where people don’t leave their homes as much as they might like because of worries that they will not be able to find a public toilet, is a significant cause of social isolation." Managing director of the British Toilet Association Raymond Martin told The Guardian: "We reckon we’ve lost 50 per cent of all [standalone public] toilets across the country in the last 10 years. It’s a crisis situation."

A spokesman from the Welsh Government said: “We have issued comprehensive statutory guidance, which encourages them [local authorities] to make better use of existing toilet facilities in public and private sector buildings. It also highlights that accessible toilets are more important for people with conditions such as incontinence, urgency and prostate problems."