Campaign urges businesses to open lavatories to public

♦ Public lavatories have fallen in number by nearly half in 20 years as councils blame budget cuts for closures.

There are now 39 per cent fewer public conveniences across the country than there were in 1998.

While a study by the British Toilet Association and Domestos found the average council operates 15 public lavatories, it is estimated that in 1998 there were around 6,000 across the UK, but only around 3,650 are still open. The study, timed for the launch of a nationwide campaign called Use Our Loos – an initiative to increase the availability of conveniences in public places – also found that 12 of the 266 councils which responded to the freedom of information requests didn’t provide any public conveniences at all.

A campaign spokesman said: “We will work with local cafés, restaurants, pubs and shops on UK high streets to open their loos to the public in the first national scheme of its kind.”