Landlord's anger at passers-by using pub toilet

A Black Country landlord is fed up with a constant stream of bus and truck drivers, shoppers and other passers-by popping into his pub to spend a penny – without buying a pint.

Licensee Alan Davies says he is having to fork out an extra £100 a week in cleaning and loo roll costs since Dudley Council closed the public toilets next to his pub, the Red Lion in Abbey Road, Lower Gornal.

And he thinks the council should give him a discount on his business rates as compensation.

The public convenience next to the Red Lion was closed earlier this year because Dudley Council says it needed costly repairs.

But Mr Davies says that, ever since, around 20 people a day, including drivers from the nearby bus station, lorry drivers and local shoppers come into his pub just to use the toilet. He has arranged for his cleaner to make two more visits a day to tackle the toilets and says that, together with extra cleaning products and loo roll, it is costing him £100 a week.

"People troop in just to spend a penny – and don't even buy a pint," said Mr Davies, aged 45.

"I feel sorry for the people who are caught short, particularly pensioners, but I think the council should make a concession on my rates.

"Besides this pub, I also run another Red Lion in Wordsley and the Woodman Inn in Gornal, so I pay around £2,000 a month in business rates and I think they should knock some off that if they are expecting the community to use my toilets.

"But the council has refused my request." The council closed eight public conveniences in June to save £150,000 a year – but the one next to the Red Lion shut several months earlier.

Dudley's cabinet member responsible for toilets, Councillor Patrick Harley, said: "The Gornal block had major maintenance issues which would have cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds to repair and required significant investment to make it compliant for disabled users.

"If a private business is unhappy with the public using their facilities we would suggest they remind people facilities are for customers only in order to capitalise on any additional footfall."