# Devizes



## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

When we had the motorhome we used to visit Devizes a lot (Sells Green) and always enjoyed the walk/cycle along the tow path. Yesterday we visited by coach with a village group for a cruise along the canal, parking in the wharf car park. After a 2hour trip, for many the loo was the first port of call:serious: We were stunned to find that the council in their wisdom had removed the public toilets and the nearest were 500yds down the road :surprise: For some of the elderly and disabled this was a step too far. The alternatives were to use the facilities in the small cafe, but you had to buy something, or wait until able to board the boat and use the very tiny loo on board!

I presume the town councillors of Devizes are so god-like they no longer need to pee.........

ps the loos down the road were all singing, all dancing but with very pathetic hand dryers


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Polly...like many town councils, I am sure Devizes have to watch every penny they spend. It might well be that maintaining two sets of loos within 500 yards of each other was beyond their means; it might be that the wharf side ones were being vandalised and it was felt that they should be closed. I'm sure the decision was not taken lightly.

Your party did have the option of using the boat loo or,for some members anyway, walking to the other loo or having a cup of tea in the cafe and using that one. If your members had been desperate then the cafe would, I am sure, have let them use it with no purchase. In many towns, where public loos have closed, local businesses have offered to allow the elderly, pregnant or those with young children, the use of their facilities

Don't knock the Devizes councillors, at least until you know why they closed these toilets.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

I may be missing something, but on discovery of the problem, why did the party not get back on the coach to be driven 500m/yds to toilets - or had the coach driver dumped you first? Then call him back - you hired him fr the day.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I think Grizzly has got it spot on, councils have ever shrinking budgets but the calls upon that budget is forever increasing. Mrs P does a bit of part time work for Children's Services within our CC. There has been a HUGE increase in the statutory requirements for children's services and a the CC's budget has been slashed.

They council must, by law, comply with Government directives in respect of children's services (and many others) Therefore economies have to,made, public toilets are expensive items to maintain but they are NOT a statutory requirement. Does that explain it?? I do hope so.

Andy


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## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

Couldnt get the coach into that park, much too small, cars only, and would have had to park on a very busy main road. It _was _the coach park and long stay car park we went into in the first place. Grizzly I know what you are saying, but if visitors to the town are expected to stay a while, I would have thought the long stay park needed loos more than short stay.


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## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

I do understand, just having a gripe really :frown2: its raining and I'm bored!


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Our local town, really on its uppers financially, not all that long ago finished a really classy refurb of the rather 1950s town public toilets. Shortly after some ******** vandalised the ladies so that they needed a complete rebuild.

The riverside ones have recently been replaced with one of those horrible stainless steel self- cleaning portakabin type things and we wonder how long before the town ones close and we get, at best, a portakabin, at worst, nothing.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

Blame the public it's what they voted for a year ago.


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

It's called 'austerity'.


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## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

Some might call it austerity, excuse the pun but the whole country is going down the pan.


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## Harrers (Dec 21, 2011)

Grizzly said:


> Polly...like many town councils, I am sure Devizes have to watch every penny they spend. It might well be that maintaining two sets of loos within 500 yards of each other was beyond their means; it might be that the wharf side ones were being vandalised and it was felt that they should be closed. I'm sure the decision was not taken lightly.
> 
> Your party did have the option of using the boat loo or,for some members anyway, walking to the other loo or having a cup of tea in the cafe and using that one. If your members had been desperate then the cafe would, I am sure, have let them use it with no purchase. In many towns, where public loos have closed, local businesses have offered to allow the elderly, pregnant or those with young children, the use of their facilities
> 
> Don't knock the Devizes councillors, at least until you know why they closed these toilets.


Talking of puns!!:grin2:


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Harrers said:


> Talking of puns!!:grin2:


Well I'm glad someone noticed.


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## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

Well, it was all an in- convenience :grin2::grin2:


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Well it ruined my sleep

Didn't sleep much last night

Read the posts fora while and went back to bed 

Dreamt I needed a wee

Couldn't find a toilet 

Then found one but it was too high, my painful joints wouldn't let me get that high

Woke exhausted should have stayed up

Can you all post something relaxing that I can read

Barry surfing the waves, toilets not available, cabbys wife having difficulty getting into the motorhome

And me turning slowly to stone 

Sandra


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## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

Sandra, if Barry were surfing the waves, he would'nt need a toilet! :wink2: :grin2:
Remembering childhood beach trips............ few public toilets in those days, especially the places my parents took us to!


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

ChrisandJohn said:


> It's called 'austerity'.


Shouldn't that be "arseterity" in this instance.


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Stanner said:


> Shouldn't that be "arseterity" in this instance.


It's definitely sh**ty, but I don't think wee should get too bogged down in the poolitics. :crying::smile2:

Chris


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