A couple of weeks ago the weather was very hot in London. For those with young children what better place to take them than the paddling pool in Ravenscourt Park.

Yet in the searing heat,and with hundreds of children in the pool the adjoining public lavatories were shut at 4pm.

As one local resident asked:

“Where are the children are expected to go?”

I have raised my concerns with the Council’s Parks Manager Ian Ross. He has replied as follows:

Dear Councillor Phibbs,

Thank you for your email.

The toilets nearest to the playground should be open until 4.45pm when the paddling pool is open and then park users have the option to use the ones next to the park cafe.  The officers on-site have been spoken too to make sure there is not a repeat of the recent incidents where the toilets were closed early.  On the rare occasion, for operational reasons, the toilets are closed early, then a sign should go up on the door explaining where the nearest toilets are.

We acknowledge this is a popular facility and therefore it is important for the toilets to be open as long as possible while staff are on-site.

Kind regards,

Ian

Please let me know of any further problems.

4.45pm is still a bit early on a really hot afternoon, isn’t it?