Stanmore resident has launched a new petition after learning that the toilets in Sainsbury’s are marked for demolition.
Having noticed that the facilities had been locked for a few weeks, Melanie Bloch asked a staff member when they were set to reopen.
Instead, Melanie was told that all of the toilets – including one for disabled customers – are to be demolished due to issues with anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
On her Change.org petition, Melanie said: “Residents and shoppers, particularly those who are disabled or elderly and families with young children, find themselves in dire need of a functioning toilet.
“Keeping these toilets open [would] be a step towards ensuring basic sanitary rights for all customers.”
Citing the 2020 UK Supermarket Survey, Melanie adds that 30 per cent of supermarket customers in the UK need toilet facilities at some point during their shop.
As an alternative to maintaining the facility as fully public, local resident Lesley de Meza suggests that Sainsbury’s could install Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation locks on the doors, making the facilities accessible only to disabled people with a key.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “Due to ongoing challenges with misuse, we have made the difficult decision to close the customer toilets at our Stanmore store. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
According to Melanie, the public toilets at Sainsbury’s have been open to customers for more than 30 years.
The petition is live at www.shorturl.at/4ogQs
Harrow Council has been contacted for comment.
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