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Pub boss’s anger over closure of York toilets

4:10pm Thursday 5th March 2009 in


A PUB manager has kicked up a stink about the closing of public toilets, saying dozens of people visited his establishment purely to relieve themselves.

Andy Henstock, the boss of the Bay Horse, in Marygate, York, said that on Sunday, 55 people went into the pub to use its lavatory without buying any drinks, and about 72 did the same thing on the previous day. Mr Henstock said he was monitoring the number of people going into the Bay Horse just to use its toilet because it was “getting a bit of a pain”.

He said people who parked at Marygate car park walked past the pub on their way into the city centre, and were using it as a public toilet.

City of York Council said the Museum Gardens toilets, which are close to the car park, were always closed during the winter. But pensioner Dorothy Horler, of Castleford, West Yorkshire, who was visiting York for the day, said: “It’s disgusting – we found three toilets that have been closed in the city centre and the car parks.

“We’ve spent quite a lot of time walking round trying to find a toilet. We’ve had to walk into the Bay Horse.”

The council said only two public toilets in the city centre were closed at the moment. Mr Henstock called on the authority to either re-open the toilets it had shut, or compensate pubs with a reduction in council tax that would cover the cost of cleaning their lavatories. “I’m annoyed about it,” he said. “I’m annoyed that the council are not re-opening public toilets, and using the pubs as stop-gaps.

“It angers me that the council have got the attitude ‘why should we open the public toilets’.

“There’s no reimbursement from the council tax for us cleaning our toilets, so it’s quite annoying.” A council spokesperson said: “The Museum Gardens toilets, which are close to Marygate car park, are always closed during the winter months (October to the beginning of April). This has been the case for many years and is due to maintenance issues linked to repairs following flooding from the River Ouse.

“The only other car park toilets which are closed are those in Kent Street car and coach park, which closed permanently in January when the coach park itself closed.

“To compensate for the loss of these toilets, St George’s Fields toilets, which are normally closed over the winter period, have been kept open.”

Comments(26)

redr says...
4:30pm Thu 5 Mar 09

For a tourist city the pulic toilets in York ar a disgrace.

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Soothsayer2.0 says...
4:47pm Thu 5 Mar 09

"pensioner Dorothy Horler, of Castleford, West Yorkshire, who was visiting York for the day, said: “It’s disgusting – we found three toilets that have been closed in the city centre and the car parks."

Makes u proud to be from York, doesn't it?

Lib Dums, Lib Dums...


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sun seeker's says...
4:58pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Why do they close the toilets during the winter? The car park is still open during the winter! People still use the car park during the winter. The Council reap the takings from the car park during the winter. Do people not need to visit the toilet as much during the winter?

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Geoffers says...
4:59pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Disgraceful!
Keeping open St George's Field loo is no help at all. How the Hell are visitors to York going to find it?

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Soothsayer2.0 says...
5:05pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Geoffers wrote:
Disgraceful! Keeping open St George's Field loo is no help at all. How the Hell are visitors to York going to find it?
Probably by following their noses, judging by the usual standards of hygene in York's lavs...

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jk york says...
5:09pm Thu 5 Mar 09

simple coin op em , but give the drinkers a token , good little earner a quid a go sounds about right

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meme says...
5:22pm Thu 5 Mar 09

what I cannot understand is why people visit York to ''spend quite a lot of time walking round trying to find a toilet.'' I thought people came for the shops and the history not on a search for toilets!!
If I were the landlord of the pub I would welcome them coming in as some will spend money.He could do a special offer something along the lines of ''have a pint and you will p.. in a more satisfying manner

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Whistlejacket says...
5:26pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Hmmm. I think this is a non-story.
The Bay Horse has just re-opened after a long closure and a piece in the Press is great free publicity.
I was in the pub on Sunday afternoon and I didn't see anyone walk in and go straight to the toilets.
I would have thought that, in this economic climate, customers coming through the door, for whatever reason, would be considered a good thing.
Perhaps some of those who came in to use the toilet bought a drink as well.

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A taxpayer says...
5:39pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Electronic door locks, only allow paying customers in. I've seen people do this at Cafe Nero all the time because they're too lazy to walk down Parliament Street. Probably the same people who litter, shoplift and cause a nuisance to their neighbours. Tourists -wouldn't put them out if they were on fire!

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roberts says...
5:57pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Soothsayer2.0 wrote:
Good to see you're way off the mark as usual Sooth.

It was the current Labour Group who actually proposed REDUCING the number of toilets in York. In fact closing the busiest toilet in York.

It is the current administration that is replacing the useless Labour built facuilities in PArliament Street with state of the art facilities in Silver Street

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Soothsayer2.0 says...
5:59pm Thu 5 Mar 09

I see.

And the fact they've stank of urine for the past 5 years? Labour's (or anyone else's) fault too I presume.

Like I say, Lib Dums, Lib Dums...

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moleculeman says...
6:00pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Why is Heworth BNP spamming the comments on this article with the save the no 10 bus petition?

It's obviously the illegal immigrants running bus companies that are responsible for the closure of York's toilets.

FFS.

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TooRad says...
6:38pm Thu 5 Mar 09

It's a standard BNP tactic. Leap onto any bandwagon of current high opinion in order to make it look like they care about real issues. They think it makes them look like a proper political party.

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Taken for a Mug says...
6:52pm Thu 5 Mar 09

With the amount of potential candidates for Community Service there should not be a closed or dirty toilet anywhere in York.


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erniedickinson says...
6:56pm Thu 5 Mar 09

on the 24 02 09 Mrs Roberts stated on this site that "The decision to demolish the city centre pool was taken AFTER agreement was made to build the pool at the university." I now call on her to substantiate the statement or retract,iF THE STATEMENT IS TRUE THE COUNCILLORS RESPONSIBLE MUST BE REPORTED TO THE STANDARDS BOARD AND IF MRS ROBERTS RETRACTS then, after all, Credibility is everything and. Mrs Roberts will have none.


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sun seeker's says...
7:43pm Thu 5 Mar 09

Whats ernie on????

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pjfair says...
1:24am Fri 6 Mar 09

Who cares, How many people call in the pub and do buy a drink which they wouldn't have if they didn't need a pee. I reckon the location is probably doing this pub a favour. Also if he has time to stand and count them then he must be very quiet anyway. Get real Landlord.

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invisibleman says...
9:35am Fri 6 Mar 09

He's wasting his time, according to most people who add comments on this website, the pub will be closed soon anyway

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roberts says...
9:58am Fri 6 Mar 09

erniedickinson wrote:
on the 24 02 09 Mrs Roberts stated on this site that roberts, york says...
5:13pm Wed 25 Feb 09
"i challange roberts to publically authenticate her statement that the heslington east pool was decided upon BEFORE the decision to demolish the Barbican pool was taken, for, if this statement is accurate, it suggests extremly underhand behaviour by the ruling cliche of lib dem councillors.The only justification for the destruction of the barbican pool put forward was that it was past its sell by date"

I didn't say the decision to demolish the Barbican. Classic deception. I was referring to the decision to abandon a city centre pool.

The date of actual demotion is totally irrelevant. The fact was the decision not to have a city centre pool was made only when an alternative was found.

"CLLR GALLOWAY AND THE LIB DIM EXEC DECIDED TO TRANSFER THE MONEY PROMISED FOR THE TOWN CENTRE POOL TO CLLR GALLOWAYS WARD JUST BEFORE THE LAST ELECTION,"

To paraphrase, I will not let you rewrite history in this biased underhand (and slanderous way). Are yousuggesting a replacement for Edmund Wilson should be moved to another part of th ecity. That's just silly.

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keepitshut says...
12:22pm Fri 6 Mar 09

erniedickinson wrote:
on the 24 02 09 Mrs Roberts stated on this site that "The decision to demolish the city centre pool was taken AFTER agreement was made to build the pool at the university." I now call on her to substantiate the statement or retract,iF THE STATEMENT IS TRUE THE COUNCILLORS RESPONSIBLE MUST BE REPORTED TO THE STANDARDS BOARD AND IF MRS ROBERTS RETRACTS then, after all, Credibility is everything and. Mrs Roberts will have none.
You are becoming a pain in the arse Mr "i didnt want the Barbican all those years ago when it was being built" Dickinson.

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ThisIsOli says...
12:30pm Fri 6 Mar 09

"It is the current administration that is replacing the useless Labour built facuilities in PArliament Street with state of the art facilities in Silver Street"

If only anyone knew where the hell silver street actually is..

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Anniegetyourgun says...
1:05pm Fri 6 Mar 09

When the Bay Horse was previously open for business, the licencee used to welcome people to use his toilets for a small fee which the licencee sent to his chosen charity. I would have thought that the current licencee might have thought of this as it may encourage visitors to buy a drink whilst there.

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TARGET.NUMBER.ONE says...
1:26pm Fri 6 Mar 09

I never liked this Landlord when he ran the Marcia in Acomb - he was the idiot who refused to serve anybody who was wearing a hat - be it a youth or a pensioner.

The way the pub trade is going he should be happy ANYBODY is going into his pub!

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MattRSJ says...
2:53pm Fri 6 Mar 09

TARGET.NUMBER.ONE wrote:
I never liked this Landlord when he ran the Marcia in Acomb - he was the idiot who refused to serve anybody who was wearing a hat - be it a youth or a pensioner. The way the pub trade is going he should be happy ANYBODY is going into his pub!
One rule for one set of people should apply to everyone.

It was cap-wearing needledicks who went into that cr@phole in the first place to start fights when they couldn't stop their beer muscles from twitching (and everyone knows it used to happen). Maybe that's the reason why hardly any licensed premises allow people to wear caps. Just a thought...

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*Disillusioned* says...
7:34pm Fri 6 Mar 09

Silver Street is at the back of M & S and Pizza Hut-right in the centre of town.

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erniedickinson says...
7:14am Sat 7 Mar 09

roberts stop making it up as you go along, what you said on the 24 02 09 was "The decision to demolish the city centre pool was taken AFTER agreement was made to build the pool at the university." you now say you were not referring to the Barbican pool but to a "decision to abandon a city centre pool" Q1 if you ment abandon my did you say demolish and Q2 if you were not referring to the Barbican exactly which other city centre pool were you referring to, seeing as there is not another!! come off it , you do your party no good by your prevarification, substantiate or retract!you have plenty to say on other occasions
keep "nitwit" shut! nice to see roberts has a best friend but it is easy to insult and denigrate using the cowardice of anonimity! unlike you i do not hide my identity,reveal yours, ifyou have the bottle! or follow your own advice, keep it shut!keep it shut

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