Closure of Public Toilets

[TeePee]

I wonder how many of us use public toilets to empty our toilet cassettes and to top up with water when on the road. Some local authorities are closing public toilets to save money.

We visited Wargrave, Berkshire, recently to find the toilets closed and there was a notice saying that toilets could be found at two named public houses. One opened at 1100 and the other at 1200! Unfortuately we were in the car at the time, it would have been interesting to see reaction when walking through the bar with cassette or porta potty! It will make it very difficult / uncomfortable for people with medical conditions who need to use the toilet frequently / urgently.

If you are aware of any proposals to close public toilets in your area I would urge you to write and complain to the Council and to your MP.

[mel wood]

TeePee - 2010-01-23 5:51 PM

 

I wonder how many of us use public toilets to empty our toilet cassettes and to top up with water when on the road. Some local authorities are closing public toilets to save money.

We visited Wargrave, Berkshire, recently to find the toilets closed and there was a notice saying that toilets could be found at two named public houses. One opened at 1100 and the other at 1200! Unfortuately we were in the car at the time, it would have been interesting to see reaction when walking through the bar with cassette or porta potty! It will make it very difficult / uncomfortable for people with medical conditions who need to use the toilet frequently / urgently.

If you are aware of any proposals to close public toilets in your area I would urge you to write and complain to the Council and to your MP.

 

I'm sure that you were joking about the idea of walking through a bar in a pub to empty a cassette loo.

At least, I hope you were.

 

 

[davenewellhome]

Surely its not generally accepted practice to empty toilet cassettes in public toilets is it? Almost every site I've been on and certainly every show ground has a notice saying that if people empty cassettes in the toilets instead of using the provided emptying points then the toilets will be closed.

 

While I disagree with the closure of public conveniences I also don't like the idea of people emptying toilet cassettes down them. It would appear a large number of folk have difficulty aiming their own emptying nozzle accurately so what chance is there that they'll be more accurate with a cassette holding 10 or more litres of human waste?

 

D.

[747]

I agree with Dave`s comments if there are specific emptying points provided. What else can we do if there are none? Taking it home to pour down one`s own loo is the answer (when possible).

 

I do know that Septic tanks are unsuitable as some blue additive contains harmful products ie Formaldehyde.

 

In my case, I would use a public loo. If my own is good enough (and my aim) then I will do that. It is only because there is no choice really. I hope that other posters can bring some better information to this thread.

[duffers]

TeePee - 2010-01-23 5:51 PM

 

I wonder how many of us use public toilets to empty our toilet cassettes and to top up with water when on the road. Some local authorities are closing public toilets to save money.

We visited Wargrave, Berkshire, recently to find the toilets closed and there was a notice saying that toilets could be found at two named public houses. One opened at 1100 and the other at 1200! Unfortuately we were in the car at the time, it would have been interesting to see reaction when walking through the bar with cassette or porta potty! It will make it very difficult / uncomfortable for people with medical conditions who need to use the toilet frequently / urgently.

If you are aware of any proposals to close public toilets in your area I would urge you to write and complain to the Council and to your MP.

 

 

so, basically, you're just looking to freeload ??

Agree that closing / cleaning / maintaining public toilets is an important issue, but not so that you can dump at will

[Mike B.]

I think you'll find it is not just a cost cutting exercise that a number (If not most) public toilets are closing-there are far more sinister reasons than just cost. This could also be the same reason as to why a number of secluded car parks now have barriers on them and only open 9-5 and this is not to stop wild camping.

Mike

[W3526602]

Hi,

 

Emptying your cassete (or bucket Elsan) down the loo can result in "spash-back", usually in your face. When emptying mine, at home, I use the inspection chamber in the garden, and hose it down after.

 

Some councils are paying shops and pubs £600 a year to make their toilets available to the public.

 

In Ammanford, they have a public convenience run by private enterprise. Stainless steel fitting, push button flush, various disposal facilities, including needle disposal. Kept in pristine condition ...... but costs you 20p a time. We bought a "disabled " key from a local "volunteer shop", cost us £3 - £4, but as our vet is in Ammanford...... Should we use a disabled toilet? We're are only in their for a couple of minutes. and anybody queuing gets an open door, useful if they don't have a key. Of course we still have to pay for the car park, even if it just a flying visit. I believe a similar facility is opening in Landeilo ..... but the car park is always full.

 

In Ironbridge, there is a car park where you have 10 minutes for free - to use the toilets.

 

In Hay-on-Wye, the toilets are (were?) free, but having paid £1 to use the car park, I was annoyed to find the door locked, and a notice telling me where to find the next nearest ...... which left me none the wiser.

 

Sorry, went OT after first para.

 

602

[handyman]

this is almost as bad a story as the tip of 'use the tap outside graveyards in France to fill your motorhome for free' that we had last year *-) *-)

[TeePee]

This post was intended to draw attention to the fact that public toilets are being closed by local authorities. I know people who have medical conditions will suffer inconvenience through these closures. Unfortunately there are those who have no consideration for those less fortunate than themselves.

 

I am quite happy to pay for water and toilet facilities and often use campsites. My point is what do you do when there are no facilities. Us motorhomers are lucky to have a toilet on board but what about those that

do not.

 

There are many remote pretty areas in our country where there are only

public toilets. The closure of these will not be good for those less fortunate.

Incidentally I only use public toilets as a last resort and if I had to use a public house I would ask the landlord first!

[W3526602]

Hi,

 

I used the lo in a petrol station shop, gave the bloke behind the counter 20p saying that what it would cost me in Ammanford. He insisted on giving back to me.

 

If I'd thought, I could have put it into a collection box. Doh!

 

Actually, I would rather be given the opportunity to donate, rather than just blatently walking into his loo, and walking out again. But how would the proprietor feel? Maybe he'd rather sell me a bag of sweets.

 

I think in Liverpool (?) the police are offering late night revellers the choice of an £80 fixed penalty, or the loan of a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush. No conveniences available, and when you have had a few pints .....

 

I would like to see provision of conveniences as being a condition of retail planning permission, either shared in street, or in-house.

 

Also thinking about a comode under passenger seat of Land Rover. :-S

 

602

[duffers]

note to TeePee, the man with no name,

 

your first post came across as not being able to dump your loo as and when you wished, Only one sentence mentioned other people may have problems.

 

Perhaps you should re-read your posts to ensure that they give a true reflection of your thought processes, then you wouldn't have to engage in a rearguard action :D

[mel wood]

TeePee - 2010-01-24 2:41 PM

 

This post was intended to draw attention to the fact that public toilets are being closed by local authorities. I know people who have medical conditions will suffer inconvenience through these closures. Unfortunately there are those who have no consideration for those less fortunate than themselves.

 

I am quite happy to pay for water and toilet facilities and often use campsites. My point is what do you do when there are no facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Us motorhomers are lucky to have a toilet on board but what about those that

do not

 

 

 

 

Shouldn't the 'us' in that sentence be 'wee'/ sorry 'we'?

[W3526602]

Hi,

 

Reminds me of the English couple (Mr and Mrs Moore) who bought a vinyard, and found that their wine improved overnight bladder control.

 

Check your supermarket for the "Pino Moore" label. :-D

 

602

[yeti]

If you are un/fortunate to have a RADAR toilet key you could use that. I do believe that if a local authority closes its public toilets including the disabled loos,if they are in the same block,it is a contrevention of the

Disability Discrimination Act.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Mike B. - 2010-01-23 9:21 PM

 

I think you'll find it is not just a cost cutting exercise that a number (If not most) public toilets are closing-there are far more sinister reasons than just cost.

Mike

 

This is an excuse they are using everywhere in the UK to close toilets and its rubbish...OK you get some nefarious activity's in public loos you always have had. but as an excuse for closing them it is scandalous IMO.

 

I worked on the Kings X project on the Underground side. 1 billion pounds and no public toilet(done away with in the redevelopment) European tourists are left perplexed...... what do they expect? welcome to quirky old England! *-)

 

 

 

[W3526602]

Hi,

 

Visited a well kmown supermarket for no other purpose than to use the loo. Entered the sanctum, found it occupied by two young lads, maybe 10 or 11 years old.

 

"Hey mister, do you want to give us 50p?"

 

"No I ****** well don't!"

 

So they wandered off. Then I thought to myself ... "This is where I get arrested!"

 

I dashed out to find Security, get my story in first. But the lads had disappeared, so I dashed back to the car instead.

 

I've been told that any shop that sells food or drink must provide facilities too. ????

 

602

[Porky]

JudgeMental - 2010-01-25 11:36 AM

 

I worked on the Kings X project on the Underground side. 1 billion pounds and no public toilet(done away with in the redevelopment) European tourists are left perplexed...... what do they expect? welcome to quirky old England! *-)

 

 

 

How many complainers have toured Europe? How many public loos are there in Spain etc? They use bars don't they? I have a spare cassette in the spare wheel compartment inside a waterproof and airtight floatation sailing bag, as I do not have a spare wheel (no please don't go down the spare wheel debate here) This allows an amount of flexibilty, so far not needed, but there in case. I have great sympathy for anyone with a medical condition but for the rest of us, no we get the local council/government we (collectively) deserve - we elect them>:-)

[Mel B]

Okay ... I've got my body armour on .... here goes ..... :-S

 

We have put our toilet cassette contents down a public loo on a few occasions but only when there has been nowhere else to dispose of it; it is not a practice we would do as a matter of course as we can usually do so an an aire/stellplatz etc in Europe, or on a CL etc in the UK.

 

When we return home, hubby empties it down our toilet and is therefore well practiced 'in the art', so doing so elsewhere is not a problem. Whether at home or in a public loo, he always cleans and disinfects the toilet afterwards too so it is spotless - much cleaner than when he found it in many cases!

 

Obviously we only use the 'permitted' chemical stuff so as not to cause any problems - we've just got some of the new 'little packet' stuff to see how we get on with that rather than the fluid, less messy ... how many of you have ruined a perfectly good pair of shoes/jeans by getting a small splash of the liquid stuff on them ... I know hubby has in the past, and usually ended up with coloured fingers too!

 

Okay ... let's have it then - my helmet is on and my visor is down! B-)

[747]

So far, only a couple of people have actually answered the original question of how many empty their cassette in public loos.

 

Reasonable options have not really been offered apart from using sites. If every m/homer and caravanner only ever used UK sites then there would be queues a mile long outside every site for most of the year.

 

I think this is a very good thread and I hope it produces some useful results. I also agree with Porky`s sentiments regarding our elected representatives.

[Guest JudgeMental]

if you use a SOG (no chemicals) or use "friendly" chemicals if there are such things *-) Why cant you use a toilet :-S

 

on rare occasions yes I have but I have a SOG

[Brambles]

Mel B, I do not see why you should get any flack for your post.

 

 

I see no problem with emptying down a public loo, what exta germs are we going to add to the 100's of other users that have deposited that day, missed the target ect. As to chemicals, prople seem happy to put the chemicals in cassette down their own loo, so why not a public loo as all goes into same sewer system . As long as you leave it clean and flush properly. What are we supposed to do if we cannot find a chemi disposal point, use a public loo or have some idiots pouring discretely behind a hedge in a layby.

 

As to carrying a spare cassette - why go to the expense of a complete cassette when a container with a wide screw top for water will suffice to drain some of the liquid off, add a bit more chemical and will do until you do find an emtying place, and you can store the waste container in say the gas locker. What I have learned over the years is when you see an opportunity to empty the loo in a place, take it because on the 3rd day of wild camping you can be promised one thing - there will be no place to empty it.

 

edit - still cannot get over watching an italian emptying a chemi loo down the fresh water tap drain opposite me...by the time I got him to understand it was not on he had finished emtying. He seemed to think there was no problem. So at least we brits are not as bad as all that.

[W3526602]

Hi,

 

Driving East, about a mile before you reach Monmouth, there is a lay-by alongside a modern public convenience. I don't think anyone would notice if you simply tipped your cassette in the middle of the floor (OK, I'm exagerating). The drain-away in the urinal is blocked, and it overflows onto the floor. Floor is not just wet, there is a puddle over the entire floor. Been that way for months.

 

But if you complain, what will they do? Close it? I've reached the time of life where I need to know where/when my next comfort break will be. The ladies in our midst may remember what it was like when they were pregnant, us men are subject to something similar as we grow older.

 

602

[Usinmyknaus]

I’ve never had occasion to empty a loo cassette in a public toilet but this thread has made me think. In the 32 months we have had our van, my wife and I have paid in excess of £50,000 income taxes, road tax, IPT and VAT solely on that portion of our income directly used to pay for our motorhoming activity. Assuming that all motorhomers pay a significant amount of tax related to their motorhoming expenditure, it would not be unreasonable to expect the Government to damn-well provide some facilities (e.g aires) for us. No chance whatsoever of course.

 

Bob

*-)