Tour guides warn over toilet closure

Tour guides in Bath are warning the closure of the public toilets on Avon Street could affect have a serious effect on the tourism industry in the city.

Several workers have penned letters to the council, saying other cities could soon look more attractive to punters if the problem is not solved.

The facilities were shut B&NES on September 17 due “poor conditions”.

The authority ruled out redevelopment because plans to relocate the coach park from near by the Riverside lot to Old Down are already in place – a move which local guides say is unsatisfactory.

Pascale Souchon is one of the complainants. She claims the closure is affecting both the tour guide business and the city as a whole.

She said: “We’re losing tourists it is starting to affect the reputation of the city. by to

“Hundreds of people visit on coaches every day. Where are they meant to go? It’s not a fight - we just want the council to be aware of the problem.

“There is sometimes a situation where 45 people need the toilet, so we have to wander off and find somewhere for them to go. “That can waste 25 minutes, time taken out of the two hour tour.

“Lots of different tour operators are not happy.”

Mei Catherall is also a tour guide. He echoed Ms Souchon’s protests.

He said: “Say every tourist spends £10, as an average, and they stop coming because of the toilet issue that’s a lot of money.

“After the toilets were closed we were told to use local businesses, but that just isn’t possible - not with 50-odd people.

“If Bath doesn’t become more welcoming to tourists it could start to lose them to places such as Wells or Gloucester.”

The letters sent to B&NES by some of the tour guides detail the same issues as described by Ms Souchon and Mr Catherall, with several noting complaints from tourists and a general threat to the industry in Bath.

They also dismiss the idea of using other toilets elsewhere in Bath, either public or businessowned, citing the logistical difficulties of such a move.

The council released a statement in relation to the closure of the Avon Street facility last month.

It acknowledged the toilets were in a poor condition and that they only remained open as an interim facility. It added: “Due to the short term requirement of the facilities, the toilets were excluded from the modernisation and improvement package for toilets in our area.

“They have therefore remained in a poor state with dilapidated fixtures and fittings, and as a result, they were subject to numerous complaints from residents and visitors to the city. There are plenty of public toilets a short walk from the Riverside coach park.”

The statement said coach passengers will be directed to the nearest facilities via signage on the former toilet block and that all coach operators have been given information about alternatives.