LoveFit Café, near Brighton’s busy city centre railway station, used to say its toilets were available for any passer-by to use, even if they weren’t a customer. But it was a disaster, says owner Jason Bright, as homeless people would lock themselves in there for long periods of time. “They’d fall asleep in there or take drugs. You’d get abuse,” says Mr Bright. “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done having a public toilet.”
Some places have a “no loo for non-customers” rule, and some are finding stricter ways to enforce it. Recently Starbucks hit the headlines when it reversed its open-door policy in the US, prompting a new look at just how welcoming our High Streets full of coffee shops are, when it comes to people who want to spend a penny, without splashing out on lattes and buns.
One coffee shop that is happy for anyone to use their toilets is 200 Degrees, a chain based in Nottingham owned by Caffe Nero, with 22 shops across the Midlands and the North of England. “People may feel obliged to have a cup of coffee or a cake as they go back out,” says Will Kenney, commercial director of 200 Degrees. “And it is nicer for staff. ‘No-one wants to be the toilet police,'” he says.
None of this would be a problem if there were more public toilets. But according to the British Toilet Association (BTA), their numbers halved after 2010. Cash-strapped local authorities closed facilities to focus on services they were legally obliged to provide.
Source link
