Australian tourist outraged at UK public toilets for having a fee and gated entry
An Australian man visiting the UK has been left baffled at the prospect of having to pay to use a public toilet.
Gates, and a literal security guard? TikToker @shearingshed was having none of it:
Shearer, you're not alone in your opinion. It's not like we're peeing by choice - it's a necessity as a human, so why should we have to fork out hard earned money to do it?
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I'd argue the same if there was a fee to use water fountains, but now I'm thinking that they might be free just to get us all to spend more in the toilets. Outrageous.
Anyway, unfortunately us Brits do regularly find ourselves having to fork out 20p, 30p or even 50p for the luxury of one pee in some public places, with train stations and town centres being among the most common culprits for barring access to toilets with pay-gates.
The Australian TikToker was in Edinburgh when he came across the sight after travelling to the UK from the US, and took to the platform to share his shock at the scene.
"You're telling me you have to pay - with your credit card - to go to the toilet now? And if you don't it beeps like that? That's ridiculous," he said.
Shearer was being watched by what looked to be a toilet security guard throughout the whole ordeal, but eventually decided to walk away rather than forking out 30p to have a wee.
"30p? No thanks, I'll just urinate in the street, thank you very much," he said.
While people living in the UK might be surprised at Shearer's shock after becoming so used to seeing the gates ourselves, it does seem that they're not a common sight in Australia.
According to Public Toilets of Victoria - yes, that's a real site - Australia is a 'socialist paradise' when it comes to public toilets, 'founded on the earnest belief that every person in this great Commonwealth should be able to relieve themselves, for free, in a publicly owned dunny.'
"It’s enough to make one’s bladder swell with pride," the site continues, before slamming the practises of us toilet-paying societies in different countries.
"Compare this to vast reaches of the globe, where it is possible to travel for weeks without finding a single free public toilet. Instead you must fork out your hard-earned to an attendant or coin barrier for the very privilege of going to the toot. A bloody outrage!
"It is our sacred duty to never, ever pay to enter a toilet block on Australian soil. Even if life-threateningly desperate, Real Australians would rather get admitted to hospital (also free) than pay for a poo."
The fact Shearer walked away from the toilet only goes to prove this website's point, though I should stress that it's probably not worth risking your health over.
Emily Brown