Cubicles in a men's public toilets in Nottingham remain out of action more than a month since they were closed because they were damaged by vandals.
The toilets in Greyhound Street, off Old Market Square, were broken into and vandalised on February 3. Repairs have been carried out and the men's loos reopened over the weekend. Two of the four cubicles are now working.
But one Nottingham bus driver, who was interviewed when all of the cubicles were closed, said the situation was "beyond a joke". Nottingham City Council, meanwhile, has apologised for the inconvenience, directing men to use the disabled facilities at times and saying that staff were working to restore the facilities as soon as possible.
READ MORE: Nottingham bus driver left with 'nowhere to go' after toilets vandalised
Lee Odams, who works for Nottingham City Transport, said there was "nowhere to go" for the toilet. The 47-year-old added: "It is beyond a joke now. There is still nowhere to go if you need [the loo]."
Mr Odams explained bus drivers relied on the Greyhound Street toilets and had no other alternative when they are closed. "It is ridiculous. Four out of four cubicles are out of use," he said, just before two of the cubicles were repaired and opened.
"What are we - the drivers - supposed to do? It is not just us, though - it is the whole population of Nottingham." After contacting the city council and local MPs, Mr Odams vowed to take the matter to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Phil Geary, 45, who has been a bus driver for the Nottingham City Transport for almost 20 years, said: "It is obviously a discomfort for us because we can drive for three hours and then you cannot find a toilet to go to. It is not great.
"At the same time I cannot blame the council for it."
Retired Stephen McPherson, 69, who spoke to Nottinghamshire Live in Nottingham city centre, said the facilities needed to be fully restored. He said: "What are people supposed to do? I mean, I can just go to a pub - but what if you have children and they need the toilet, too?"
He added: "There should be more toilets in the city. Everyone is going to cafes or pubs instead. Just because the toilets are broken that does not mean that people do not need them."
Mr McPherson said he noticed that there was a lack of public toilets available across the city during lockdown, when all venues had to close. He said: "There was nowhere to go so people who were outside and needed the toilet would just go behind a bush or tree. I remember I had my own spot where no one could see me."
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “We have been carrying out repairs at the Greyhound Street toilets following vandalism of the facilities and have re-opened the male facilities over the weekend, with some facilities still out of use.
"We have directed male users to the disabled facilities at times and work is ongoing this week to restore service as soon as possible to some of the cubicles and taps that remain out of order in both the male and female toilets. We apologise for any inconvenience while the repairs are completed.”
