Some can sing, some can dance, and some can successfully see out Dry January without falling off the bandwagon on day three. My hidden talent, on the other hand, is being able to tell you where the nearest (and nicest) public toilets are at all times. And so the fact that there is an awards ceremony dedicated entirely to the country’s best bogs is pretty darn exciting to me.
The Loo of the Year Awards do what they say on the tin really; they celebrate the country’s very best ‘away from home’ toilet facilities. Across a whopping 63 different categories, plenty of London loos earnt themselves a shoutout. But one particular spot was crowned the best of the bunch.
The ‘Best Railway Station Toilets in Britain’
Paddington Station earnt itself a shiny award, having been named the best railway station toilets in Britain. The platform 12 toilets London’s third busiest station have not long been kitted out with very high-tech occupancy detectors so that users can easily see which loos are in use. And the brilliant bogs achieved a rather impressive 90% satisfaction rate from its visitors.
Paddington station was also praised for its ‘Changing Places’ toilet; achieving ‘Highly Commended’ status for its baby changing facilities. The Changing Places loo at London Paddington is also the first Network Rail-managed station to offer stoma-friendly facilities (following guidance from Colostomy UK).
It was revealed that over 6000 miles worth of toilet roll is used at the award-winning washrooms at Paddington station each year. That’s enough to stretch from the station all the way to its namesake in Peru. B-loo-ming ‘eck!
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re delighted to take the number one spot as the best station facilities in Britain for our toilets at London Paddington. Whether you’re taking a train or just making a ‘pit stop’, we’re proud to offer clean and accessibly facilities for every.
“I’d like to give massive thanks to the station team and our hard-working cleaning staff who have really earned their stripes with their commitment to providing the best facilities for our passengers.”