A public toilet in the North of England which requires a 50p contactless payment entry fee infuriated Brits – although one cheeky customer has a solution for it
For years the prospect of having to spend 20p to use the toilet has infuriated desperate Brits.
But now it seems a 50p charge has tipped some over the edge – after a Reddit user highlighted a wee problem he spotted at a block of public conveniences. Sharing a snap of the offending loo to Reddit’s CasualUK subreddit, the finder quipped: “The people vs 50p toilets.”
A sign on the door from Windermere and Bowness Town Council reads: “The 50p entry to our 6 public conveniences goes fully towards covering the cost of the cleaning and maintenance contract.” At the side of the door, meanwhile is a contactless payment terminal, providing the opportunity to spend a penny – or 50 pennies – via debit and credit card or Apple Pay.
One Reddit user slammed: “They need the 50p to pay for the card machine they installed so people could pay the 50p by card.” Another joked: “The cost of s****ing crisis is about to hit Britain.”
A third cursed: “Should never have to pay for a basic human right. Ridiculous. Rip the thing off the wall.” And a fourth fumed: “As someone with IBS, the very concept of paying to use toilets is incredibly infuriating to me. Public toilets is exactly the kind of thing our taxes should pay for.”
Eagle-eyed Reddit users on the post, however, spotted a sneaky tactic one local had employed to gain free entry. When zooming in on the door reveals a large stick, which has been strategically placed to wedge the door open.
The cunning plan went down a storm with those that spotted it. “Your contribution keeps these toilets open and someone has contributed an extremely effective stick,” quipped one person. A second added: “Took me way too long to find the stick at first. I’d be annoyed if I paid and only realised it was there afterwards.”
While a third moaned: “You know there is going to be that one Karen that will remove the stick – then complains why they need to pay to use the toilet.”
Others admitted they’d be happy to pay the fee if it meant having the luxury of a clean bathroom though. “I honestly don’t mind paying for a toilet if it’s clean,” one Reddit user said in support. “The stench in the free ones makes me want to barf. It’s one of life’s small luxuries I don’t mind paying for.”
A second concurred: “I agree, I think there’s a difference between this example which (I’m assuming) is a small, community-run one where the proceeds go towards upkeep and cleaning. As opposed to a train station toilet where they’re obviously just charging you for the convenience and not bothering to maintain/clean.”
