According to the old adage ‘When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go” - but that’s not been so easy during lockdown.
Covid-19 has created something of a toilet crisis with cafes, restaurants and pubs where we might previously have nipped in all shut, and patchy provision across various local authorities with an eye on cleaning costs and staff diverted elsewhere.
The only council-run public toilets open in Norwich are the ones near Norwich Market which were opened when the market traders returned.
A Norwich City Council spokesperson said: “Before reopening the toilets there are a number of essential measures to consider and implement to make sure the public can follow the Covid-19 guidance.
“These are being worked through on a case by case basis and we will reopen the toilets when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”
Meanwhile, city shoppers can use facilities in the Castle Quarter and Chaplefield malls.
In Broadland all council-owned public toilets are shut (namely Acle, Coltishall, Ranworth, Reedham, Salhouse, Reepham) despite the famous waterways having reopened for day boaters, fishing, and canoeing.
Great Yarmouth, however, has reopened virtually all of its public loos, after hopes that keeping them closed would deter trippers soon ebbed away as the sun came out.
In the town centre provision was said to be adequate as people made a cautious return to the shops.
Although non-essential shops were allowed to reopen from Monday, June 15 not all of them had and some were operating reduced hours, according to Jonathan Newman, town centre manager.
But as things got busier, and people became more confident, he hoped all the toilets would reopen - as long as it was safe to do so.
Currently both sets of toilets in Market Gates are closed and people are being redirected to The Conge.
Mr Newman added that although cafes were shut there were still plenty of takeaway options in town meaning people would need to answer the call of nature.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council confirmed the toilets under Market Gates would not be reopening yet.
It said in a statement: “The Great Yarmouth and Gorleston toilets are now open, and those at Caister Beach and Hemsby are now available for operation by the parish and local business.
“The toilets at Caister Second Avenue, Thurne and Scratby will be open within the next two weeks following extensive refurbishment.
“Winterton remains closed whilst refurbishment continues, though the disabled toilet at Winterton is available to the public.”
People using public toilets will find hand sanitiser and more regular cleansing, along with posters encouraging hand-washing and social distancing, to help manage the risk of inflection.
The loos at Kingsway in Hemsby are closed for refurbishment and the Beach Road facilities are shut too meaning there are no public toilets available in the village.
Problems had been reported along the coast and at Scratby with beach-goers relieving themselves behind beach hut giving owners the unpleasant task of cleaning up human waste.
Toilets there are being refurbished.
Meanwhile, Nick Spencer, manager at the Market Gates Shopping Mall in Yarmouth, said they were looking at ways to safely reopen the toilets inside the mall - including the use of chemical spray that the NHS and London Underground were using on their surfaces.
In the west of the county being caught short is not an issue with a good number of toilets open in Hunstanton, Kings Lynn, Downham Market, Heacham and Burnham Market.
Public toilets in Diss and Long Stratton are closed.
But those in Hingham, Wymondham, Harleston, are open.
All of North Norfolk District Council’s toilets were due to reopen by Monday (June 15) when most shops were allowed to open their doors, with the exception of those at the Rocket House.
However, visitors have been urged to be considerate when visiting the area, taking note if a place is busy and considering moving on.
In Suffolk the district council has confirmed all 57 of its units are open across all its towns and villages including Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay, Corton and Kessingland, and have been throughout the pandemic.
A decision not to close the Barwell Court block in Dereham was also made early in the pandemic and it remains open.
The conveniences at St Giles Road, Watton, are also open.
Thetford’s toilets at Castle Park, Cage Lane, and the bus station are all closed. The council has called a special meeting to discuss whether they can be opened.
In west Norfolk, council-run loos at Burnham Market (Foundary Place), Downham Market (Memorial Fields and Wales Court), Heacham (North Beach, South Beach and village), Holme, Hunstanton (Bowling Green, Bus Station, Central Promenade, Cliff Top, Esplanade and Seagate), King’s Lynn (Baker Lane, Bus Station, Ferry Street, St James Multi-storey and the Walks) and Old Hunstanton and open.
In South Norfolk, public toilets in Diss and Long Stratton are closed.
Those in Hingham Market Place, Wymondham Market Street and Harleston Bullock Fair are open.
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