England left with ‘toilet deserts’ as public facilities decline by 14% in a decade

Report says lack of provision is harmful to health and damaging for high streets

The number of public toilets in England has fallen by 14% in a decade, harming public health and creating vast swathes of lavatory “deserts” and unpleasant environments, a report says.

The analysis by the Royal Society for Public Health found a “significant shortfall” in provision, with 15,481 people for each public toilet in England. That contrasts sharply with Scotland, where there are 8,500 people for each toilet, and Wales, with 6,748.

The analysis was based on 221 freedom of information responses from 309 English councils. The number of toilets was down 14% on 2016.

The RSPH warned that a lack of toilets increased the number of people who urinated in public, creating unhygienic conditions. It also pointed to a potential knock-on effect for high streets because the research suggested that some people avoided going out because of a lack of public facilities.