Showing posts with label Bog Off. Show all posts

Bog Off Exhibit 32 - The Bog At The Beeb In Brum

White raised toilet against yellow wall in middle of photo. On the right hand side of the photo are silver moveable grab rails and a standing frame. To the left is a blue, changing places fold up bench locked into position against the wall
White sink against white wall with silver towel and soap dispensers above. Flip up taps and dispensers are automatic. To the centre left is a baby change tray mounted on the wall and in the immediate left against the yellow wall is standing frame and raised grab rails

Closer view of blue changing table with controls just visible in a black box underneath mounted on the wall

Its been quite some time since the last Bog Off blog, but a now functioning phone and a few trips around the country have inspired my toilet photographing fetish anew. This rather impressive example was found in the new BBC building in Birmingham when I went to do Woman's Hour. It's tough to say which made me more excited...the blingy bog or the Dalek in reception. However, filled with pre broadcast nerves I spent a lot more time examining the bog than I did the Dalek, and to my deep dismay whizzed past the Dalek without a chance either to touch it up or take its photo!

As bogs go this was a particularly impressive example. It completely outshone the bogs at the Paralympics which were spacious, functional and well equipped...but devoid of bright colours and a wee bit wiffy. This loo smelled nice...which was probably because the cleaning schedule was rigorous and that it was just off the reception. There were fancy door opening things...but being inept I couldn't work them so the reception staff did fancy door opening which was very nice of them.

Functional, good looking and impressive. At least our Licence Fee's being spent on something useful in BBC Birmingham!

Bog Off - Exhibit 31 A Second Starbucks Sorry?

The only way I could describe this Bog Off found in the Liverpool One Starbucks was to say "It's minging. Oh and a bit rank too." Deeply disappointing after such high hopes of Starbucks. 


Back in October my friend @trufflepotamus was refused entry to a disabled toilet in a Norwich Starbucks as she wasn't in a wheelchair. As soon as Starbucks were tweeted this information they responsed promptly with an apology, investigation and staff retraining. We were impressed and yesterday Truffle and I had a tweet up in Liverpool One to enjoy the free coffee Starbucks gave us as an apology. 


To be fair, I did enjoy my coffee, well caramel hot chocolate actually. It was delicious. But I made the mistake of going to the toilet before I'd finished my drink, after which it just didn't taste so good. The toilet was so disgusting, I felt sick.  Having worked in restaurants I know only too well that the state of the toilets is a good general indicator of the condition of the food preparing facilities and hand hygeine of the staff. This toilet was so smelly and disgusting that I had to have a bath when I got home as I still felt contaminated. There were urine soaked tissues behind the cistern, urine splashed across the seat and thick dust coating the grab rails indicating a long term lack of cleaning rather than the more forgivable overwhelmed by the Christmas rush problem. 




Dark Blue toilet seat with visible urine splashes
The good points about the toilet rather got lost in fighting the urge to vomit the smell was so overpowering. Starbucks use constrasting blue grab rails which is great as they stand out easy to be seen. There were also two mirrors, one full length and one above the sink, at a good height for a wheelchair user. However the poor hygeine was so widespread I feared touching any of the grab rails, if the dust is that thick right next to the actual toilet then the germs must've been having an orgy. There was a help cord and it wasn't tied up, but it was too short to reach the floor and in a very awkward place. Frankly anyone unfortunate enough to end up needing to pull that cord for help would need a chemical decontamination unit after contact with anything in there, and new clothes as theirs would have been soaked with stranger's urine. 



Toilet with seat lifted and urine soaked toilet paper visible behind it

Sink with surrounding grab rails in contrasting dark blue and mirror above, too high to be visible from a wheelchair

Dark blue lower down grab rail directly adjacent to toilet, coated with a thick layer of dust

Full length mirror. Nappy bin obstructing access to sanitary dispoal bin from toilet area

Help cord adjacent to soiled toilet area, cord too short to be reached from floor
I am fortunate enough to be able to grab fistfulls of loo roll to lift up a toilet seat with, but others are not. It wouldn't have done them any good however as once lifted it was clear the cistern was equally generously coated with urine. Hovering over a soiled loo seat trying to pee while avoiding contact is difficult enough for the physically able but impossible for most disabled people...especially as the grab rails were too dirty to hold on to. 


The big question is not will Starbucks apologise for this smelly, sorrowful disabled toilet, but will they lead the way in improving their staff training and accessible facilities nationwide? I'm willing to drink alot of coffee to find out...


The managing director of Starbucks UK can be contacted via twitter


Update 03/01/2011 The following email was received from Starbucks on 31/12/2010


Our ref: 334909
 
31 December 2010
 
Dear BendyGirl
I have recently read your blog following your visit to the Liverpool One - Paradise Street Store and I am very sorry, and disappointed to hear about the appearance of the toilets.
 
We endeavour to provide a clean and comfortable environment that is accessible to all customers, in which you can relax and enjoy your favourite beverage, so we appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention. 
 
I have shared your feedback with my district management team for their attention and investigation, to ensure no such situation arises in the future.  I have also instructed immediate deep cleaning in the store today to ensure the issues you have raised are addressed. 
 
I am sorry that you have had to bring this issue to our attention and I can assure you that your thoughts will be acted upon.  
 
I understand we have already tried to restore your faith in Starbucks once, however I hope we can continue to welcome you into our stores.  So that we can do this I would like to send you a Starbucks Card for you to continue to use in Starbucks. We have your address on file already please let me now if this is the right address to send it to
 
Once again, thank you very much for sharing your feedback with us and for giving us the opportunity to improve our operations.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Jane Coleman
Regional Director of Operations

Bog Off - Exhibit 30 Starbucks Special!

This is an extra special Starbucks themed BogOff sent in by  BogOff fan Arienette. The photos feature the Woolwich branch of Starbucks in SE London, but BSS is also pleased to report a Starbucks BogOff twitter special.

Recently a fellow tweeter @trufflepotamus visited her local Starbucks, in Norwich, @trufflepotamus has some mobility issues but is not overtly visibly disabled. Whilst she was there she asked to use the disabled toilet as walking upstairs is difficult, tiring and painful. She was refused access to the disabled toilet by a staff member who informed her that the disabled toilet was only to be used by customers in wheelchairs.

Starbucks are one of the biggest companies to have adopted the use of social media. So, as soon as I heard about @trufflepotamus's experience I tweeted @Starbucks to inform them. To their credit a response was swift, with an immediate apology and assurances to investigate. Before long the managing director of Starbucks UK, Darcy Wilson-Rymer had tweeted his apology and asked for contact details so Starbucks could investigate. That was followed up by an email from Starbucks customer services team also apologising and promising to put right the problem. Starbucks contacted @trufflepotamus directly to ascertain the details and have reassured her that the official Starbucks policy is "just say yes" to any customer who requests to use the disabled toilet. They have also assured @trufflepotamus that they will provide retraining to the staff at the Norwich branch so they are all clear about this policy and have sent her a Starbucks card so she can return and enjoy the facilities on them.

Starbucks have led the way here and set an example to other companies about how social media can allow them to engage with their customers and help the company address issues promptly. It is fantastic to see that Starbucks immediately apologised and promised to do better, a stark contrast to experiences disabled people such as myself have had when dealing with other large companies such as Wetherspoons. 

Whilst I'd like to congratulate Starbucks and give them full marks for their behaviour over this incident I'd also like to take the opportunity to let them know there are issues with disability access and awareness in their other branches, such as this BogOff taken by BogOff fan Arienette  at the Woolwich branch of Starbucks in South East London. Will Starbucks UK lead the way and receive the first company wide Bog of Beauty award for their disabled toilets? I do hope so...



View of disabled toilet with grab rails to right and left. Emergency alarm cord is tied up away from the floor around one grab rail. The bins are obstructing the transfer area.


"There were some very good and very bad points about this toilet which is in the Woolwich branch of Starbucks in south east London.

The toilet is down a fairly narrow hallway. If you had anything other than a standard sized wheelchair and standard sized arms, you'd be in a tight spot. The door is also difficult to manouver with a pushchair and weakling arms, so I'm assuming it would be very difficult with a wheelchair.

The room is well lit but not blinding. It was clean, there was no debris on the floor and it didn't smell of anything, although it didn't smell pleasant, either. Actually thats just how I like my bogs, the overwhelming smell of fresheners or bleach can make me faint.

There's a baby-change (isn't there always? Well, no, actually, the disabled toilet in the Starbucks on Southamptom Row had nothing and I had to change the baby on the toilet lid. It was awesome. Not.) but it doesn't stick out too far when folded up, which is good, because the room itself is obviously built to minimum size standards. Again, if you had anything other than a standard size wheelchair you'd be in trouble.
Close up view of alarm cord tied firmly to grab rail and impossible to reach from the floor

Emergency Cord tied up out of the way, as always (I untied it, although have little hope that it will remain that way),  and the bins were in the way of the transfer area.
View of mirror at standard height above sink with adjacent grab rail

However, there were two mirrors. One at 'normal' height above the sink, and one lower down, perfectly positioned for wheelchair height.  However, again, in a larger wheelchair you may have to bend out to apply your lipgloss, because the mirror is tucked away in the corner.
View of wheelchair height mirror next to hand dryer at angle showing it would be difficult to see into from a wheelchair

All in all, a mixed bag. Better than most, but still falling short of the ideal. And really, why should a realistically usable disabled toilet be 'the ideal'?"


Thanks to Starbucks UK, @trufflepotamus and Arienette for this extra special BogOff - the disabled and parent/child users of your accessible facilities look forward to a positive response once more!  

Bog Off - Exhibit 29 Chester Station


As bogoff's go, Chester Station's isn't too bad. It's a good size, with more than enough room to manoeuvre a wheelchair alongside the loo. It was clean, apart from the loo paper sheets dropped on top of the sanpro waste disposal , and it didn't smell. There is a full-length mirror and there was plenty of contrast for people with visual problems - a good number of navy-blue grab rails stood out well from the white walls and turquoise door and flooring.

But oh dear, points must be deducted. There was no coat hook, which I always find a major annoyance. Ordinary public loos have hooks but the people that design bogoffs seem to think us crips don't wear coats, or carry handbags. And there was no privacy curtain. I don't think I have ever yet used a disabled toilet that has one, yet they are a very cheap and effective way to spare someone's blushes if the door needs to be opened in an emergency. Chester station's bogoff had one small advantage here in that the disabled toilet is inside the main door for all the public toilets and tucked into a corner, so should help need to be summoned you wouldn't be completely exposed to the gaze of passers by.


Talking of help and emergencies, I noticed immediately that the alarm cord was hanging well over a meter above floor level. Worse, it was wedged behind the loo roll dispenser. Tugging at it carefully failed to dislodge it and I was wary of tugging too hard in case I triggered it. It was impossible to tell if it was just too short or if the cleaners had knotted up the length and wedged it up out of the way of the floor polisher. Either way, I was worried about collapsing on the floor as I would not have been able to signal for assistance.


I was incensed enough that I complained immediately at the customer service desk, explaining that the cord was illegally short and anyone in trouble wouldn't be able to get help. To his credit, the man I spoke to promised to investiage immediately and sort it out. I hope he did.

6.5/10. It would have been 9.5 if the alarm cord had been properly positioned.

Words and pictures by Louise Bolotin 
Thanks Louise!

Bog Off - Exhibit 28 Student Style!

This Bog Off was sent in by @Trufflepotamus, a student at The University Of East Anglia.

My source tells me that the disabled toilets in the accessible student bedrooms are huge wet rooms which are rather good, but this particular toilet seems to have been nothing more than an exercise in ticking boxes. So much so that not only is it not labelled as a disabled toilet, it hasn't even merited a toilet label of it's own. Poor loo, it must be very lonely all on it's own in a corridor facing a glass door without a sign to let anyone know it can be visisted! 

The photos are all taken from standing in the doorway as the door didn't actually open fully and got in the way. 

As I haven't seen this Bog Off in person, it's tricky to comment on the dimensions, but from the photos and impossible to open fully door, it certainly appears as though it would be very difficult to get a wheelchair in there, even a wheelchair as small as my child sized one probably wouldn't fit. The grab rails are a different colour from the walls, which makes them easier to see but there don't appear to be enough rails in the right places to enable transfer, even if a wheelchair could be slotted somewhere between the toilet, the wall, the sanitary disposal bin and the normal bin.


There's also no mirror...so don't bother to bring your lip gloss!

Bog Off - Exhibit 27 Bog of Beauty!

This is an extra special BogOff sent in by BSS reader Sam McCallum, thanks Sam! 

It's special partly because it's the most distant BogOff from the UK, even further away than the previous holder of that title from Hobart, Tasmania. 


The other reason this BogOff is special is because the public toilets at KawaKawa in New Zealand are world famous, designed and constructed by the Austrian artist Hundertwasser. 


Sam made sure to point out that the lack of mirror in the accessible toilet was not an oversight, none of the toilets have mirrors-true equality! This may not be the best BogOff for access, but it is definitely the most beautiful and interesting. I particularly like Hudertwasser's philosophy that straight lines are evil and the toilet only contains crooked beauty.

Bog Off - Exhibit 26 Live unboring - Ikea

This Bog Off exhibit is brought to you from Ikea Warrington. As you'd expect from a Swedish company the disabled toilets are spacious, well maintained and staff members knew where they were rather than the usual, "just follow me and I'll see if I can find someone who knows" answer so frequently given in large British companies. Perhaps the moody lighting is also a Swedish affectation, but whatever the reason I wouldn't have liked to use that toilet if I had a visual impairment or epilepsy, depending where you faced it was either dark or dazzling. 

 The sink was within reaching distance of the toilet...if you were a fairly tall contortionist. I am not and thought it best not to attempt stretching just to make sure, the floor was clean but it still had that universal toilet aroma and I didn't want to inspect the hygeine standards from face first on the floor. The sink was the only sink for the toilet, there was not a larger sink away from the toilet in the way considered to be ideal practice.

It's always disappointing when disabled toilets get so close to being excellent then fall short on the details. This particular accessible loo opened straight on to a main corridor, where anyone passing could see in if the door were open. Privacy curtains are such an inexpensive adaptation to make, and it's a great shame Ikea haven't installed them as if anyone needed assistance in this toilet they'd be exposed in a most undignified manner for a passing stream of shoppers to see. The other major, yet inexpensive to alter, flaw to this toilet is that there is no contrast of colours to help people see the grab bars. Combined with the odd ambience created by the lighting it was all too easy to misjudge where things were. I'd suggest a nice, dark blue colour for the grab bars to make them stand out a bit more.

The assistance cord was so well hidden I can't actually spot it in any of the photos. Also, as is very common the sanitary disposal bin had been placed obstructing transfer position next to the grab rails. 

Overall this was one of the better examples of Bog Off that I've seen, but typically for the want of a nail, the rider was lost. 

Bog Off - Exhibit 25 Euston Calling

This Bog Off was sent in by BSS reader and previous Bog Off contributor Louise Bolotin. 


The two disabled loos on the concourse at Euston Station in London leave much to be desired. For one thing, they are very cramped - long but far too narrow. Anyone in even a standard-size wheelchair would probably have a problem trying to do a u-turn once inside. It's barely 4 foot wide.

The other major problem is that Euston is busy. Very busy. At all hours of the day and night. Consequently, I can pretty much guarantee that whenever I need to use the loo there, it will be dirty. Wet seats, wet floors and litter (mainly loo paper) are generally a given, as might a grubby sink be. And, depressingly, if the checklist on the wall is accurate, it normally only gets cleaned twice a day.
So I was pleasantly surprised last time I got caught short while waiting for a train because the loo I entered was spotless. I nearly peed myself in shock, to be honest.
The plus points are a huge, full-size mirror, a coat hook (yay!), frequently more rarely sighted than a yeti in a wheelchair, the door rail (why do so few crip toilets expect people with weak hand joints to push open a wide, heavy door using only the handle?) and - joy of joys - not one, but two alarms. The cord alarm is actually hanging free, just as it should be, touching the floor. And on the wall behind the door there is also a wall mounted emergency button, next to the reset.
I shall be back next week in Euston - I wonder if the loos will still be as sparkling clean?

Thanks Louise! If anyone would like to contribute to Bog Off, photos and a description of the offending, or winning loo, can be emailed to benefitscroungingscum@hotmail.co.uk

Bog Off-Happy 2nd blogiversary


On Sunday I went to see Cirque du Soleil at the Liverpool Echo Arena, featured in one of the earliest Bog Off blogs. I thought it would be interesting to see how well the accessible toilets at the Echo Arena are holding up some two years later and so had a rummage through the Bog Off archives. 

It transpires that the very first Bog Off was two years ago today. A night out in Chester for Roland's birthday meant I found myself in one of the most dangerous disabled toilets I've ever been in. Red and I were seeking somewhere to reapply our lipgloss and after much fuss trying to track down a member of staff with a key to access the toilet we stared in horror at the scene before us. The floor was soaking wet, chairs and boxes of alcohol were piled up obstructing access and of course there was nowhere to apply lipgloss. In retrospect we should just have nicked the champagne and be done with it, but instead the idea of Bog Off was born.

Since then there have been some 30 odd examples of Bog Off awful disabled toilets, either toilets I've visited myself or examples sent in by readers. There have been one or two examples of outstanding accessible toilets, those at the Scottish Parliament building and Copenhagen airport being the most memorable, but most Bog Off's have been a fair and representative example of the appallingly low standards of most 'accessible' toilet facilities. There is even a special meeja luvvy section of Bog Off featuring photos taken by secret sources at The Guardian's offices and BBC Manchester. There was even a special Bog Off Down Under taken in Hobart, Tasmania by fellow bendy blogger Veronica Foale.


The disabled toilets at Liverpool Echo Arena still look much the same as they did 2 years ago. Built to minimum DDA standards they are too small for most people, making transfers a cramped experience. I'm not sure how those needing a personal assistant to stay in the toilet with them would fare. The toilet doors open directly onto the main pedestrian area of the arena, and as is typical there is no privacy curtain. A privacy curtain is such a simple and very cheap adaptation to include but for some reason they are rarely included in disabled toilets. Privacy curtains are important to enable a personal assistant either to wait outside the toilet without having to expose the disabled person to public view or to remain in the toilet with the person yet give some semblance of privacy. 

The good points are that the Echo Arena has clearly made access a significant part of it's design and there are disabled toilets adjacent to every doorway to the arena which means no queues. They have also made an effort with design using bright colours. Despite that the toilets have a very gloomy appearance when inside them.


The main problem with these toilets is that they stink. I mean really, really stink. The smell hits you in the face as you open the door. There was a pungent aroma of urine and faeces when I visited the spotlessly clean toilet before the start of the show, but by the end of the show the smell was so bad I was gagging.

 The good news is that Echo Arena included mirrors in their disabled toilets. The bad news is you'll be retching so much from the foul stench that you won't hang around long enough to use it! 





If anyone would like to contribute to Bog Off photos and a description can be sent to benefitscroungingscum@hotmail.co.uk Copyright or a photo credit will always be included.





Bog Off-Exhibit 24, Come 'Home'

I recently went to a tweet up with another Wirral based tweeter. They picked the location, I'd asked to meet somewhere accessible with parking directly outside. On that basis 'Home' at the Woodside Ferry Terminal was chosen. 

The parking was great, the disabled bays were literally directly outside the entrance to the cafe. The only downside was the high cost of parking there, no exemptions for blue badge holders, even those who also have road tax exemption. It must be a known issue as when I was back in the car ready to leave I was accostedapproached by a couple of drunkcharming looking gentlemen asking if they could have my car park ticket. I had to disappoint them by explaining they could, but it had run out some 20 minutes before I'd made it back to my car. 

I'm not sure who owns and maintains this particular Bog Off as it is next to Home cafe but seems to be part of the main Woodside Ferry terminal rather than specific to a business or attraction based within it. It is one of the more unusual examples of a Bog Off I've seen...but then, I don't get out that much!

The Bog Off must have been converted from an existing toilet facility as the wall tiles were old, probably the originals. This actually made a really nice change to the usual 'built to the absolute minimum legal requirements and not even those if we can get away with it' disabled toilets featured in Bog Off. It gives the disabled toilet a different atmosphere...yes, I know...it's a toilet. But bear with me on this, as anyone who's visited the famous, but smelly mens toilets in the Philharmonic Pub can attest, stunning design does really make for a different toilet experience. You'll be glad to hear this Bog Off was nice and clean without a whiff to be sniffed! It's not that the design of this Bog Off was stunning, but it was unusual and the nicer for it. The contrasting tile colours work well but may be problematic for those with visual impairments. Also unusually the lighting in this Bog Off was easy on the eye, unlike the usual overly bright white light which can be dazzling. I'm not sure if this was another reflection of the age of the toilet or particularly good design but the former seems more likely. 


The toilet was much roomier than built to minimum regulations modern disabled toilets, so there was plenty of room for the baby changing facilities in there. The space had been used less well from an accessibility viewpoint, as you can see from the photos it was rather cramped around the toilet and both sanitary disposal and the normal bin were placed in the way of anyone needing to transfer from a wheelchair, also obstructing the rails.


The sink was a small one, placed just about close enough to reach from the toilet...but not for someone my height and size. There is a mirror, but far too high up for a wheelchair user or averagely small adult. It was perfect for tall parents to look at themselves in whilst nappy changing though! 


As is typical the assistance cord was tied up out of the way. Less typically the cord was tied in such a way it could be reached from the floor, but you'd have to be fairly small and bendy to be able to fall anywhere you could reach it in the first place as it's tucked in between the toilet and bin behind the loo brush. 



 

 

Bog Off-Lingerie Leads The Way

This edition of Bog Off was snapped in a lingerie shop at the Cheshire Oaks outlet shopping mall. Unfortunately I am scatty and prone to breaking inanimate objects so I've somehow broken my second swanky Samsung Tocco Ultra phone which would have allowed me to easily write a note telling me what the company with this leading example of accessibility were called. But instead I broke the phone and forgot to make a note of the company name. 

So to you, accessible heaven of discounted lingerie company I apologise. Your facilities rock.

Bog Off! Exhibit 23-Your M&S

Sent in by BSS reader and Bog Off fan* Nemonie this Bog Off features the accessible loo in Marks & Spencer at Teeside retail park, near Middlesborough. As you can see they have tied up the help cord ever so helpfully out of the way. They have also placed a chair in the way at the side of the loo, again presumably out of a misguided sense of helpfulness. 

M&S pride themselves on their customer service so come on Marks and Sparks, we expect you to lead the way in excellent facilities not lag behind. 





*My very own fan....how exciting!

Bog Off-Exhibit 22-Should've known better

My GP never did get around to contacting me to ask me to review the accessible facilities at the new practice, Sandstone Medical Centre. It's a bit of a shame as the practice is a brand new conversion in an older building and should have been a shiny example of accessibility bling. Instead it is, and no offence to my lovely GP's, a great example of how to spend lots of money on making a building comply to the legal regulations without actually providing proper, working access. 

The accessible toilet is the only toilet for patients and possibly staff too on the ground floor. It's situated next to the lift and very close to the patient waiting area which could potentially be a problem if the waiting room is busy and particularly if anyone requires assistance in the toilet. The toilet has been built to what appear to be the minimum size requirements and opens directly onto the waiting room. This means that it would be almost impossible for a carer to remain in the toilet with the person requiring assistance and should someone pull the cord for assistance they would be exposed in a most undignified manner to the whole waiting room as there is no privacy curtain and no space to easily place one. A privacy curtain is rarely present in accessible toilets which baffles me as it's one of the cheapest and easiest adjustments to make. In addition to the lack of privacy curtain, the width of the door looks very tight for a wheelchair user; fine if one is petite and using a child's size wheelchair like myself but not fine for anyone using a normal or bariatric sized wheelchair. That shouldn't be surprising as the door to the adjacent nurse's room has been hung the wrong way round meaning it is completely impossible to access for anyone using a wheelchair or pushing a pram.*

 The tiles are white and it is very bright inside the loo. A small space with strip lights and white tiles is potentially dazzling and could cause difficulty for anyone with visual problems, migraines or just a typical toddler to control. The big problem though is that the grab rails are stainless steel against white which just reflects the light and makes them very difficult to see properly. The help cord is correctly hanging down to floor level but unfortunately sited in the far corner of the loo, behind the toilet meaning anyone on the floor would need my kind of contortionist skills to reach it. I'm going to confidently predict that most of the patients using the toilet will not be able to bend like a pretzel and therefore be floor bound until someone notices their absence or wants to use the toilet. Mind you, it's so dinky in there you'd need to have the pretzel bending gene to even lie on the floor!


And finally...there's not even a mirror for my lipgloss! 

*This may have been corrected since I took these photos

Bog Off!-Exhibit 21-Undercover at BBC Manchester

Via a super secret souce, BSS is pleased to bring you a Bog Off from BBC Manchester. The toilet featured is the main disabled toilet on the ground floor of the BBC Manchester building.

My source informs me this toilet is usually clean and it is checked three times a day. The other good point is the toilet is spacious, but as is fairly typical it's only half fit for purpose.

Can you spot that alarm cord? Yes, there, tucked away in the farthest corner behind the toilet. Although it's not tied up as many alarm cords in disabled toilets are, it doesn't touch the floor. Best of luck to anyone who has collapsed and needs to pull it from elsewhere in the room as even with my contortion skills I couldn't get to it.

The other big failure is the location of the sanitary disposal bin. About as far away from the toilet as it is possible to get, certainly impossible to reach from the toilet with an outstretched arm. What is one supposed to do with a soiled sanitary product whilst seated on the loo, take the best aim? I hope not for the cleaner's sakes let alone the next disabled person to need the toilet. Design fail, it would have been far more sensible to swap the locations of the alarm cord and the sanitary waste bin.

There is at least a large mirror, and wonder of wonders, a coat hook. Just what do the designers of these toilets think about cripples? That we never wear coats, have Inspector Gadget style arms and the aim of an Olympic shotputter perhaps! Top marks to Aunty for the hook, and total fail to my local hospital who are to be featured in a future Bog Off for making me put my lovely, cream, dry clean only coat on the bin. I mean really, how much can a coat hook cost?

The sink is ok, and the room doesn't smell but there is a frequent issue with the cleaners forgetting to replace the paper towels. There is no hot air dryer. My source reports that one colleague was forced to pen a note to the cleaners requesting paper towels after they had not been replaced for a full week.

The other big issue with this BBC Bog Off is that due to it's location the toilet is frequently used by able bodied staff. One crip in need was left hopping mad* after having to wait 15 minutes to use the disabled loo whilst it was occupied by someone more than capable of using the regular men's toilets.

Overall the toilet gets a 7 out of 10, scoring so well mainly because of the coat hook. My source finishes by saying they are glad not to have to use the other Bog Off at BBC Manchester near the TV studios as it's always seriously skanky. Ah well, that must be cos the Beeb have already 'done' disability for this years budget!


*I know, I know. I'd blame my source, but what would life be without some slightly dodgy cripple puns?!
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