As a 62 year old man,  I find it extremely embarrassing to have to urinate in public.

Yet this was what I was forced to do last night after enduring a train journey from Clapham Junction and finding out, via an on-board announcement that  there were no "working" toilets on the train bound for Southampton. This was bad enough but at least there would be some relief (literally, I thought) upon arriving at Winchester, whereupon I could make a quick dash for the toilets on the platform. Unfortunately, on alighting from the train, I discovered the toilets shut at 8.30pm, 15 minutes before my train pulled in. So, what to do? I thought about getting a cab home but feared I might disgrace myself while on the way, so I decided to walk - I live a 10 minute walk away, however, after a couple of minutes, I was forced to relieve myself on the path leading from the underground walkway to the bus stop on Stockbridge Road.

Fortunately there was no one about but that's beside the point, which is; if there are no adequate facilities on a train, which is unacceptable on its own, surely the duty of a train station is to ensure the toilets are not shut for passengers requiring a toilet upon alighting, and there must have been many passengers desperate for a toilet on this particular train, which was full all the way from Clapham Junction.

 

Marvin B Naylor,

Greenhill Road,

Fulflood,

Winchester