Bus driver toilet nightmare
LIFE is becoming a wee bit of a pain for bus drivers who have found themselves engaged in a battle to get their toilets unlocked.Drivers docking into Ipswich's Old Cattle Market bus station are having to keep their legs firmly crossed because all the public toilets are locked up.
LIFE is becoming a wee bit of a pain for bus drivers who have found themselves engaged in a battle to get their toilets unlocked.
Drivers docking into Ipswich's Old Cattle Market bus station are having to keep their legs firmly crossed because all the public toilets are locked up.
Three out of the four cubicles, including the one disabled toilet, are closed due to vandalism.
And the only urinal left is a no-go area because it is filled with excrement.
Bus driver Peter Groom, 61, of Foxglove Avenue, Needham Market, said: "I used to use the facilities in the First National café, but they don't really want us to do that anymore.
"The disabled toilet has been locked for months. The other toilets have a closed notice on them.
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"The only one that is open is the urinal, but it just smells and is horrible. There is someone who goes in there whom we call the phantom pooper.
"We see people open the door, only to back off and walk away. There is no water in there so it never flushes.
"It is just not on really. We arrive in the morning and have literally got five minutes. You have got to go somewhere."
While Galloway European driver David White, of Shakespeare Road, Stowmarket, said: "I don't come into the (Old Cattle Market) bus station every day, but when I do I am busting for a pee and there are a lot of drivers who can't use the First National café.
"We understand there is vandalism but we would like to see them sorted out. A lot of us are getting fed up.
"I recently had a short turn-around and I needed to go for a pee. I had to use the urinal, but someone had defecated in it. It is terrible.
"If the council provides facilities, they should be clean and working."
An Ipswich Borough Council spokesman said: "We closed three of the toilets because of a combination of vandalism and the need for maintenance.
"People can't gain access because vandals have smashed the coin mechanisms. We have ordered the parts needed to get them up and running.
"The urinal is cleaned twice daily. There is no water in the sink or for automatic flushing, but somebody is going to sort out that problem straight away.
"We are sickened by the misuse of these facilities. We have to clean it up, which is not a nice task and we are grateful to The Evening Star for highlighting this problem.
"People wouldn't do this at home, so why should they misuse public facilities?"
What do you think about the state of the toilets? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an email to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
