A Wetherspoon customer has described having to clean the 'disgusting' pub toilets before using them as, she says, they were covered in poo. Emma Michelle, 28, had been enjoying an after-work drink at The Posset Cup in Portishead with her partner and a friend on Sunday afternoon (October 2)
Emma and her friend, who is disabled, initially went to use the accessible toilets on the ground floor, SomersetLive reports, but were shocked by what they found. Emma said: We opened the door with the radar key and were horrified at what we saw.
"They were covered in poo. It was on the seat, on the floor, around the toilet hinges and even around the taps." So, instead, the pair ventured to the ladies loos on the first floor.
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But the toilets upstairs were also in a sorry state, with Emma describing them as 'disgusting' and covered in human excrement. She said: "We were both hoping the ladies' loos would be better, but they were just the same.
"By this point we were both pretty desperate to go so I had to do something." Emma then used the toilet brush next to the loo to clean off the mess before wiping the toilet seat down with paper.
She went on to say: "The one upstairs was just as bad and it wasn't just one cubicle that was like it, because we checked. There was no way these loos had been cleaned recently.
"There was poo again on the loo itself and on the seat hinges." The pair then carefully used the toilet before covering their hands in anti-bacterial gel and, when back downstairs, Emma complained to a member of staff.
"It was a bit embarrassing really," she said, "but I had to tell them the toilets were in an awful state." And, when she got home, Emma's mum told her to make a formal complaint to Wetherspoon, but Emma says she hasn't received a response.
"The whole experience certainly put a dampener on our outing," Emma said, adding that she won't be visiting the Posset Cup again. “It’s really put me off,” she said.
“It’s disgusting that a place can leave their loos like that - especially a venue which is serving food." The Posset Cup at Harbour Road opened in 2016 and takes its name from the original name for Portishead, derived from 'port at the head of the river'.
A spokesman for Wetherspoon said: "Wetherspoon apologies for the condition of the access toilet at the Posset Cup, Portishead on Sunday 25 September 2022. All Wetherspoon toilets are required to be inspected every hour to ensure that they are clean and in good working order.
"Unfortunately, on the day in question, the pub had a number of unforeseen staff absences and, as a result, the toilet checks had not been completed to their usual frequency or standard. The pub staff do not recall being notified of any issue with the toilet.
"Had they been made aware, cleaning would have taken place immediately. Every Wetherspoon pub is subject to regular mystery visits in order to monitor and assess standards, including toilet cleanliness.
"In the financial year 2021/22, the Posset Cup, Portishead scored an average of 93.1% for visits conducted by independent external mystery visitors which is above the company average of 93% Wetherspoon won the Loo of the Year Award in 2022 following unannounced inspections by Loo of the Year Awards Inspectors who grade toilet and baby changing facilities against criteria including cleanliness, décor, signage and accessibility.
"The Posset Cup, Portishead has consistently obtained consecutive ratings of 5 out of 5 at every inspection completed by Environmental Heath officers at North Somerset Council since 2017 under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme which reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspections by the local authority.
"We are confident that this was an isolated incident and hope that those customers who had a negative experience during their visit to the pub will visit again soon."
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