A NORTH East shopping centre is delighted to have been named in this year’s toilet roll of honour.
The plush facilities at Gateshead’s Metrocentre are anything but bog standard after winning the prestigious ‘Loo of the Year 2010’ accolade in the shopping centre category.
Promoted by the British Toilet Association, the national awards recognise the highest possible standards in public conveniences around the UK.
Each toilet is marked on more than 100 different criteria such as cleanliness, signage, décor and maintenance, hygiene equipment, accessibility, security, as well as overall management and customer care.
Tim Lamb, general manager at the Metrocentre, said: “This award highlights just how hard our team works to ensure we provide the best possible facilities to our customers.
“We pride ourselves on making the Metrocentre a safe, clean environment in which to shop and this award highlights the standard of facilities we will continue to provide.” Some of the 60 categories in the competition included toilets in retail premises, pubs and restaurants, parks, holiday parks, sports venues and heritage venues.
The National Trust site in the Gibside Estate in Gateshead was named as having the best public toilet in the UK in 1999.
And several other public toilets around the region were given five stars in this year’s awards.
Three branches of Asda were named in the supermarket category.
Stores in Ashington, South Shields and Seaham were all given top marks for high standards.
The Sanderson Arcade shopping centre in Morpeth, The Mile Castle pub in Newcastle and McDonalds in Ashington were also given awards. Newcastle City Council had the most number of public toilets given a five-star rating in the region, with three. The toilet in Dean Bank Park in Ferryhill, County Durham, was named as the region’s best park loo.
A spokesman for McDonald’s said: “We prioritise making every aspect of a visit to McDonald’s of the highest possible standard.
“We believe that everyone deserves clean, safe and well-appointed toilet facilities.”
Rob Nichols, head of environmental services at Newcastle City Council, said: “We are delighted with the awards which are tremendous recognition of the effort put in by council staff to maintain high standards in these well used facilities.”
