Carer blasts disabled loo situation

Emma Upshall is one of two carers for Lucy Jones of Verwood who is profoundly disabled by Cerebral Palsy and requires a hoist to use the loo.

“Lucy enjoys going out once a week to the shops and for lunch and when we come to Bournemouth our first check is to make sure there are no problems with the disabled toilets, as we have had numerous issues in the past,” said Emma.

During a trip earlier this month, she said they went straight to the loos in the Lower Gardens and called for the attendant to open them as there is no keycode, as in many other towns.

“This went straight through to voicemail,” said Emma. “After several attempts to no avail, the attendant happened to be passing and advised us that the mobile they used was broken and that the keys had been lost so there was no way he could get us into the toilet.”

The attendant told her he had explained this to the department responsible a couple of weeks ago, but: “They had done nothing about it. This meant all we could do was go home which obviously was very disappointing for us all,” said Emma.

“We regularly visit Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth and Poole and they have excellent facilities so it does surprise me that a major resort like Bournemouth doesn’t have something better. Personally I find the loos dated and smelly and in need of complete refurbishment. I think people like Lucy deserve better and that the town needs to step up.”

Stuart Best, Bournemouth borough Council’s Street Services Manager apologised for the inconvenience caused to Emma and Lucy: “We are currently investigating any issues,” he said, adding that the council provided a number of public conveniences across the borough with the majority of them having facilities for the disabled.

“We are committed to providing good-quality, clean and accessible public toilets for residents and visitors in key locations in the town,” he said.