Norwich market traders unhappy with ‘disgusting’ replacement portable toilets

Alethea Stearman, who works on The Mushy Pea Stall. Picture: Jacob Massey (Image: Archant)

Up to three weeks of work have begun on the public toilets by the market, with electrical repairs, tiling, paint work, deep cleaning and ventilation replacements taking place.

During this period, Norwich City Council have provided market traders with two replacement portable toilets.

However, traders said the toilets were 'disgusting'.

Kingston Gray, owner of Lucy's Chips, said: 'They weren't locked initially so homeless people got in and were injecting themselves in there. I don't blame them for using them but they were in disgusting condition. There was faeces and urine everywhere and loo roll all over the place.

The sign on the toilets which will be closed for up to three weeks while renovations take place. Picture: Jacob Massey (Image: Archant)

'There's no hot water in there and just opening and closing the doors you'll get dirt on you.

'They will close the bike park for fireworks or anything like that but not so we can have proper toilet facilities.

'Normally we have four toilets just for traders and the public toilets so now there just aren't enough. I think it will definitely affect business.'

Alethea Stearman, who works on The Mushy Pea Stall, said the standard of the toilets was hypocritical.

She said: 'The council make you jump through hoops to get your food hygiene rating, yet they provide toilets that are enough to make you gag. I've been going to the toilets in The Forum because these ones are worse than unusable.

'Going there and queuing means the stall is going to be left unattended for a long time and customers aren't going to wait that long.

'They're saying they've opened toilets in St Giles and it's all well and good doing all this Love Your Market stuff, but if customers can't use toilets here they're not going to come out in the rain and they'll stay in the malls.'

A spokesperson for Norwich City Council said: 'We are making improvements to toilets on Norwich Market that will enhance the environment for everyone that uses them.

'Two temporary portable toilets were provided on Monday morning for traders to use while the work takes place, and we have opened the fully accessible toilets on level A of St Giles car park for the general public to use during this time.'