A woman spent an hour-long drive home desperate for the toilet after staff at M&S refused to let her go as the branch was closing. Sue Smith visited the shop for tea and cake but after trying to use the toilet she was told it was against store policy.
Sue said: "It wasn't like we had just come off the streets, we were actually in the shop and paying customers. We came out the restaurant having tea and cake, so three of us said 'We have to go as the shop's closing'. So we got up and walked towards the toilet, around 100 yards away on the same floor, and we saw this lad in his Hi-vis coat.
"As we walked towards the toilet, a couple of girls came out and then the Tannoy announcer said 'The shop's closing in ten minutes, can you make your way to the checkouts. But when got to the toilet he said we couldn't come in once they made the ten-minute announcement.
"At the time we were so polite, but we should have said 'Don't be so daft' and walked past - what would he have done? But we didn't because we are too nice. But I was fuming, absolutely fuming - and busting."
Her daughter tried taking her to a public convenience, only to find that had shut too, reports TeessideLive. A Marks and |Spoencer spokesman said: "We were sorry to hear about Ms Smith’s experience. At M&S we hold ourselves to the highest standards of customer service and our toilets are available for customers to use whenever our store is open.
"We are contacting Ms Smith directly to apologise and our store manager would like to offer her some flowers next time she visits the store.”
Sue said: "If we had just come off the street and asked 'Can we use your toilets', I'd understand it if they said we couldn't as the shop's closing. That would be a bit cheeky. But we were already in there."
"It just spoilt a lovely afternoon we had shopping."
