Woman squats in public toilet in protest against closure

A 67-year-old woman has moved into a public toilet in Twerton, Bath, to protest against its closure by the council. Campaigner Lin Patterson, took a sleeping bag, water and other supplies to the toilets to protest about their closure. Bath and North East Somerset Council has earmarked a number of public toilets for closure in order to save money.



Ms Patterson headed up the Save the Larkhall Loo campaign and, together with campaigns by ward councillors Dave Laming and Bryan Chalker, saw them saved from closure until next year. She is now hoping to get the same results for the Twerton toilets. Ms Patterson said: “I am occupying these toilets for three reasons.

“There was some good campaigning by Twerton people to keep the toilets open, with a petition of 97 signatures handed in and another petition of at least 50 signatures gathered, but many people in Twerton still do not know our toilets are closing, and we need to know and mobilise. The second reason is that although I have been campaigning to save the Larkhall toilets, people need all these facilities. We are stronger if we work together, so this widens and intensifies the campaign. The third reason is to put this in the context of cuts that are unnecessary, unreasonable and unwanted by people who can vote.


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“The priorities are wrong nationally and locally, with huge capital budgets for massive projects that primarily serve vested interests. I start with local toilets, which serve one of our most basic human needs, where closure hurts the most vulnerable, elderly, women, children and disabled people.” Ms Patterson has set up an online petition to save toilets earmarked for closure, including Combe Down, Peasedown St John, and Twerton.