I'll be relieved to see the end of this problem

THE inadequate and unequal provision of public toilet facilities for women is a disgrace.

Every man in this country can rest assured that whenever he needs to use a toilet away from home, relief will be readily available to him. How very different for women who know that whenever they need to use a public toilet they will probably be forced into joining a long, embarrassing and humiliating queue.

The practice of compelling women to queue endlessly for what is surely the most basic of human rights is not just because women take longer or go to the toilet to do their hair and make up. It is simply because women are almost always provided with fewer or less adequate toilet facilities than men. This even applies when the provider relies almost exclusively on the female population to keep them in business.

One of the worst culprits in this area is the Southport Flower Show. Despite relying heavily on female patronage and despite the fact that women are paying the same entrance fee as men they are treated unfairly!

On entering the grounds, women are greeted with the unwelcome sight of a staggeringly long toilet queue. Many of these women have travelled a considerable distance to support the flower show.

Where toilet provision for women is concerned we seem to be stuck in the Victorian era, and I think it’s time we moved onto the 21st century. The constant worry of being unable to gain quick and uneasy access to a toilet causes a great deal of stress, both physically and psychologically. There is no logic or practical reason for this abuse, the only reason is discrimination.

The unsatisfactory situation, despite affecting over half the population, is not taken seriously.