Sainsbury's toilet plans go down the pan

Jul 30 2010 By Carl Gavaghan

HOPES that much-needed public toilets in Chertsey may be opened have been dashed by Sainsbury's.

The supermarket has dropped plans to renovate its petrol station in the town, which local councillors hoped would include the re-opening of the toilets on the site.

Chertsey borough councillor Chris Norman said that the council wanted Sainsbury's include toilets in any future plans.

“We had hoped they would open the toilets again after they were closed due to repeated vandalism,” he said.

“These plans could have been our last chance to have them re-opened, even though new toilets were not originally mentioned by Sainsbury's.”

The supermarket has also been slammed by a local business owner after staff had been sending its customers to use his toilets.

Ferhat Orhan, who runs the Chertsey Café in The Sainsbury's Centre, said he has now started turning people away from his business.

“I have heard staff in Sainsbury's telling people that if they want to use the toilet to come into my café,” he said.

“It has been going on for too long so I have had to say that the toilets are now for customers only. They should not be doing this, there should be toilets for people to use, not mine.”

A Sainsbury's spokesman apologised to Mr Orhan and said this would not happen again.

Peter Sims, director of technical services at Runnymede Borough Council, said that the planning application has been withdrawn following the receipt of an objection from the Environment Agency.

“Sainsbury’s already has a toilet facility adjacent to the petrol station which for many years was used as a public toilet,” he said.

“They closed it due to repeated vandalism. Despite pressure from the Borough Council and Chertsey Society, Sainsbury’s has refused to reopen them.”

Shoppers reacted with anger to the news and called for more to be done by all involved.

Mavis Duffin, 76, of Lassawade Road, in Chertsey, said: “It is disgusting there are no toilets in the town centre because people here really need them.

“The problems there are caused by vandals and I don't blame Sainsbury's for closing the facility last time.

“In my mind, toilets are a service the council should provide.”

Glyn Tickner, of Cowper Close, in Chertsey, said: “I know a lot of older people who have trouble needing the toilet and it is ridiculous there are currently none available in the town.

“There was a petition put together about a year ago asking for new toilets but when it was presented to the council, they didn't want to know.

“They should subsidise them because, although there are vandals, they can put up CCTV to stop them.

“I come into town every day and public toilets are a necessity.”