No toilets open in Scarborough town centre: One woman says she had no choice but to relieve herself in a back street

Patricia Blakeston, 49, says she had to resort to finding a secluded back street to spend a penny because there are no toilets currently open in the town centre.

“The toilets in the train station were closed, as were all toilets in Debenhams and the Brunswick Shopping Centre itself,” she said.

“Staff would not allow me to use their toilets so unfortunately I had to resort to relieving myself in a back street. This of course is totally unacceptable and undignified.

“If they are allowing shops to be open then there has to be public toilets around those shops for people to use.”

Toilet facilities in Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, Brunswick Shopping Centre and Scarborough Railway Station are all closed, despite shops being open.

Chair of Scarborough Town Centre Strategy Team Sue Anderson Brown last week called on Scarborough Borough Council to provide temporary toilet facilities in the town centre.

Scarborough Borough Councillor Tony Randerson, whose portfolio includes toilet provision, has said the situation is being looked at.

Scarborough Council has no public toilets in the town centre; its nearest are on the seafront.

Mrs Blakeston, who is from Bridlington and was visiting Scarborough via train to bring her son for an orthodontist appointment, said: “Non-essential shops are also open in my town of Bridlington and so are public conveniences.

“Scarborough needs to follow suit. Not being able to relieve oneself is a breach of human rights.”

There have been scores of comments on the Scarborough News Facebook page about the issue, with many calling for toilets to be provided.

One posted: “Shocking. Without toilet facilities how do you expect to trade? Must be the only place not to open them.”

Another said: “All loos in Filey are open. There's hand sanitiser outside the bus station loos.”

And another posted: “You need toilets - children, pregnant women, people with health problems, the elderly.”

A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer said: “For hygiene reasons, we haven’t opened any customer toilets in our shops through the lockdown period.

“As restrictions ease, we will continue to review this and continue to follow government guidance

“We know customers value the facility when shopping and whilst they aren’t open at the moment, colleagues will of course use their discretion including for customers with disabilities.”

A spokesperson for Brunswick Shopping Shopping Centre said: “It is regrettable that our toilet facilities within the centre remain closed for the foreseeable future.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, however we felt it the right course of action as we would have been unable to re-open them safely in accordance with the Government’s current social distancing guidelines.

“We will of course be reviewing this as the Government guidelines change.”