A mum has hit out after finding the public toilets at The Trafford Centre in a 'disgusting' state. Emma Gill was shopping with her daughter on Saturday when they paid a visit to the ladies.
But the parents editor at the Manchester Evening News said almost every cubicle was covered in mess left by members of the public. She noted a lack of "common decency", adding the cleaners should not be treated with "such contempt".
Emma said: "Obviously after a busy day of large crowds in any venue, you don't expect the bathrooms to be pristine. But I was actually quite shocked by the mess that greeted us when we nipped to the first floor loos close to Boots and Millie's Cookies in Upper Peel Avenue.
"Almost every toilet had mess on the floor - a mixture of toilet tissue, tampon wrappers, discarded drink bottles and goodness knows what else. It was a pretty disgusting sight overall and we weren't the only ones walking past the row of cubicles and glancing inside each one to see which we could actually brave.
"One had a 'sorry' sign on the door stating that 'unfortunately this toilet is not in use'. And I don't even want to think about what was behind the door of the 'out of order' one.
"'This situation is receiving our attention and we apologise for any inconvenience caused', said the sign.
"And the fact was the toilets were receiving attention. There was a 'cleaning in progress' sign on the floor and as we left a cleaner appeared to be pushing a trolley inside, no doubt fearing what they had in store."
Emma said it send the wrong message to people visiting Manchester for the first time. But she added she did not blame the cleaners.
"Yes they are paid to clean, but they don't deserve such utter contempt," she said. "This sort of situation isn't their fault is it.
"It's the general public who can't be bothered to put their rubbish in the bin. Who thinks it's okay to throw toilet paper and wrappers on the floor for someone else to pick up..
"If you're so inclined as to place loo roll around the toilet seat before sitting on it - I get why you might do that - at least flush it away once you're done. It's common decency and sadly that's something that appears to be lacking all too often."
A spokesperson for The Trafford Centre said they are "extremely proud" of the "hardworking cleaning team who endeavour to keep the centre looking its best at all times". A temporary fault on Saturday led to the closure of some cubicles for a short time, diverting customers to other facilities," they noted.
"It is likely that this limitation, together with the high numbers of people attending an outdoor event, led to the issues that have been raised," they said. "However, we would ask that the public respect our cleaning team and leave facilities in a presentable state."
