A public toilet. Photograph: Peter Jordan/PA
Public loos are disgusting. You knew that already, but the National Consumer Council commissioned a survey to scientifically assess the state of Britain's public conveniences. The result? "A national disgrace," says the NCC.
The British toilet association has been saying the same thing for years. And despite the enticement of winning the Loo of the year award, it seems that few in a position of potty power have learned.
Crappers Quarterly has a useful roundup of London loos, with photos of the great and the stomach-turning. It's enough to make you want to carry your own portable toilet (it plugs into a car's cigarette lighter).
Normally when looking for a loo, you have two options: men's or women's. Last year in a US mall I found myself confronted by a third option: the family bathroom. Armed with a baby, I investigated. This was not just a toilet, it was more of a lounge and included cushy armchairs, bottle warmers, and a child-sized sink and toilet. If they'd added an internet station I would have just given up on the whole shopping trip and ordered everything from the comfort of the loo.
Back in Britain, it's not all bad news. Earlier this week, one of the "world's oldest" public toilets (so claims Westminster city council), located beneath Oxford Circus, reopened after a £300,000 refit. They celebrated with champagne. The BBC has a photo.
Even that can't compare with the leading entry in the Bathroom Diaries' golden plunger section. Why can't all public loos look like this, rather than those creepy pod loos now studded around the city?
