'So degrading': Tesco refuses to let Crohn’s disease sufferer use toilet (From Your Local Guardian)

Sadly, this is absolutely typical of Tescos today! They fought hard to get their planning permission for this store, then we notice the use of the building has changed quite slowly into what we have now- a store without a heart.

MORE LOOS
It is time Tescos have proper public conveniences available for shoppers and treat us with a bit more respect...when they aren't counting their profits, that is. After all, Waitrose offer facilities.

Perhaps Richmond Council could review the original planning permission for Tescos- or is that asking too much of them? This council can suspend councillors on the most trivial of issues but the public can never take officials to a Standards Board, I notice- especially when the conditions of a planning permission might be contentious with the public expressing concern. It seems to be one set of laws for them (Tescos and Councill employees) and another set for everyone else.

Phillip Taylor

One has to have some sympathy for the store manager's position. The retail world is only too well aware of the public's capacity for getting up to serious mischief in toilets - apart from theft, sex, vandalism and drug-taking it is hard to believe that some members of the public were ever successfully toilet-trained or even have toilets in their own homes the way they treat publicly-provided facilities - and he has a duty of care to his own staff with respect to their health and safety. It is unreasonable to expect a major company like Tesco to maintain a detailed list of who should or should not be allowed into their staff toilets and in my view the manager was reasonable in redirecting her to a nearby set of non-staff toilets. Perhaps Crohn's sufferers should carry an NHS-authorised card identifying them as such though doubtless that would lead to the usual abuses. Certainly if like this lady I was on a 6 minute fuse I would carry some form of explanatory documentation when I was out and about. Indeed I would be negligent not to.

The sad irony of this is that there used to be a public toilet just outside Tesco's... The lack of public loos is becoming a real problem, not just in Richmond. Alas tho TheParkie has a point - I used to work in a library & we had problems most times we let people use staff loos - usually to shoot up or smoke crack. I'd have thought tho that Ms Burns was clearly a genuine case.

Lucy, you are missing the point here. Tescos make a lot of money and could quite easily provide a loo. All I am saying is that they do not care about the customer. The same goes for the Liberals who run the Council- they were always criticising the Tories about the loos between 2002-6 and yet now we hear nothing from people like Cllr Elengorn who was a vocal critic when in Opposition. With the Liberals in power they have closed the loos and the Community Toilet Scheme still does not run properly.

Also, I think it is insulting to see notices like 'For patrons use only' on pubs etc. You do not get this sort of thing in other countries and it shows a mean spirit. Tescos could be a little less mean here in Richmond! M & S and Waitrose have loos.

Phillip Taylor

The fact that there were once public lavatories nearby is certainly ironic.

On another tack, if Phillip Taylor wants to challenge Tescos attitude he might like to ask how it was that a person with a 6 minute fuse on their toilet habits came to be working in one of their food stores.

Lucy, you have obviously have no understanding of Chron's disease and how debilitating it can be. Chron's is related to the bowel and it can also affect the mind after a major set back. It sounds like you have been lucky never to of had your life controlled by a bowel disorder, where you have to battle to just to get out of the door. I wonder if you have read the story properly as it explains that Karley has a shortened bowel, this I would imagine is because she would of had part of her bowel removed due to this terrible disease. If the store had refused your child use of the toilet and she defecated herself before being able to find another toilet how would you have felt?

I hope, Bandit, that when you are old and infirm, you will reflect on the comments you have just made which are outrageous in my view and smack of authoritarianism.

We should have much better facilities in this borough. Just turning up at the Richmond railway station is enough to show the 'don't care' attitude which you exhibit if you ever use their loos which are expensive and disgusting.

And, by the way, it is not a waste of R & T space to run this important article. I thought we lived in a free society where views can be expressed.

Phillip Taylor

Hi Philip, I dont think im missing the point here. I dont treat well known shops as 1 large company, i treat each companys shop as an individual store. And i have to say the service i recieve from Tesco Richmond is of a good level and i dont mind giving them my cash....unlike Sainsburys Richmond! (but thats another story!!) I recieve good service and when the ques start getting long i watch the staff running around opening up tills. They are polite and friendly with banter also whilst serving you. And look, they were kind enough to allow the woman to use the toilet, until the Manager quite rightly interviened. Yes Tesco does make bucket loads of cash but how could they quite easily provide loos? Where would they go? Its not about money, but space. Have you been in there on a lunch time? You cant even get round the store its so small and packed with people! I agree the company Tesco does not care about the customer, but aslong as the store gives me the respect and service i expect then i will gladly continue giving them my money, until then....And i dont think its Tescos who need to give us public loos. but Richmond Council! Maybe if they stop re digging our pavements and re doing round-a-bouts that look exactly the same as before then we could use our council tax for loos instead!!

Let me just point out that ok i may be being harsh and yes shops can make exceptions, on this occasion they said no but she has no visible signs to prove her need nor carry any doctors note for that. I honestly dont see what the big deal is?! When ive been holding it for a while i suddenly need to go too, so people who hold it for too long should have an exeption too? What about the older generation who cant hold it as long? Exception there too? And pregnant woman, yes quite rightly! And then yes the children again quite rightly! But then lets get on to the drunks, they cant hold it and would prob do it in the store! You want them walking around behind the scenes aswell?! What about if their high on drugs? They need to go quickly too, common, you cant have every single customer using your own private work toilet!! Until someone can convince me otherwise im still standing by a woman that thinks she is above everybody else and thinks she should be treated special.....guess again luvvie!

Quite a few people here need to learn how to spell . . . .

PeterTeddington wrote:
Quite a few people here need to learn how to spell . . . .

Dearie me - hardly worth staying up till 2 in the morning to say that was it Peter?

Incidentally, as you place such great store on the finer points of written communication an ellipsis only has three dots, thus: ...

Oh I don't know. It prompted a reply as expected. Just cast out the line and reel 'em in!

Phillip - this is a non story. Richmond has community toilet scheme, whereby most pubs and a lot of other shops etc. happily allow people to walk in off the street and use their facilities - no quesions asked. Please don't patronise me about being old, I do a lot of volunteering with old people and understand the issues they have.I have also suffered from an illness which meant that when I felt the urge to go, I had to very quickly. However, I made a brief effort to make sure I knew where accessible facilities were. My father, who is 76, suuffers from very sudden urges due to a series of illnesses, ye he manages quite well without asking to private facilities.A person who is at fault is the Tesco staff member who allowed someone unescorted into a non public area. In my company they would have been in trouble for that and rightly so

With regards to public facilites, I garee they are not good enough AND this council wastes money on stupid things, but there are loads of idiots out there and public loo's get vandilised, used for drug taking, crime and other "offences". This is what costs the councils money. Not the provision but the maitenance and repair. Schemes like the community toilet scheme should be better publisied.

There are at least 3 "accessible" loos within 50 yards of Tesco, so common sense dictates she should have gone to one of those and then continued her shopping. People can't think for themselves these days.

Lucy - I agree 100% with what you say.

You say it's ok for pregnant women to ask to use the toilet.....What about a woman who is in her first trimester? She won't be carrying around a letter and you can't physically see she is pregnat so do you refuse her? When is a person too old to hold their bowel or bladder, when is a child too old to say no to. It really isn't about getting your own way and I agree with carrying a letter or a card, but I have been in the position when this has been refused and it isn't a good place to be when you don't know if you can make the next 50 yards, let alone being told yes, then being told no. I have also been allowed to use many toilets when I have explained the situation without the use of the card from a major chain store to small self run businesses. Lucy, you talk about 'holding it for a while' with this statement I know for sure that you have no idea of the panic and pain that a sufferer is in with a bowel disorder and unless you have experienced this you will will never be able to sympathise, there is no holding on. If you know you can use the toilets for your daughter at Starbucks, why do you need to ask in the first place to use the one in Tesco, you have pointed out is not a public facility plus I bet you have used to toilet at the same time. I applaud Carley for bringing this up as there is a taboo on talking about bowels and poo, and us British are the best at not talking about it. I have posted a link which explains about the symptoms of Chron's. http://hcd2.bupa.co.
uk/fact_sheets/html/
crohns_disease.html#
2

PeterTeddington wrote:
Oh I don't know. It prompted a reply as expected. Just cast out the line and reel 'em in!

I suppose that given the medical sub-text in this thread another inflammatory post is only to be expected. And in a thread so dedicated to missing colons (and indeed semi-colons) that inappropriate and misplaced punctuation should be also note-worthy. Certainly it prompted me to google "peterteddington" the results of which were both note-worthy and regrettable in equal measure, reminiscent as they were of my earlier post about the inappropriate activities that members of the public get up to in toilets provided for them.

I have read all the comments with interest and surprisingly I can agree with a lot of points.

I am a 28 year old male who has had Ulcerative Colitis (part of the family of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, which Crohns is part of) for 19 years now and have had to deal with so many people not understanding the condition.

During my school life there was little known about the condition and it was quite rare for a child to be affected by it. Even though the school was aware of my condition I still had to deal with teachers not really understanding what it meant. If I had the requirement to use the loo I had to the leave the class there and then. Not the done thing, really I should have put my hand up and ask my teachers permission. I could be on the toilet for up to 20mins at a time with severe discomfort and on my return to class, “Where have you been Mark???” In an angry voice, “in the toilet Mr Morris” I would have say standing in the front of the class being humiliated by the rest of the class. And that was the best scenario.

I have lost count of the number of times at school I was restricted from using the toilet and not able to get there fast enough. This resulted in deeply humiliating accidents in the middle of corridors.

As I grew older and went out more in towns I would never go more than 100m from a toilet. I also had a ritual of stuffing toilet paper in my underwear and in my pockets incase of an accident.

Since diagnosis myself and my family have been member s of the NACC – National Association for Crohns and Colitis( http://www.nacc.org.
uk ), which promotes awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. All members receive a plastic card which reads “CAN’T WAIT!, Please help – our member has a medical condition which is not infectious and means they need to use toilet facilities urgently. Your kindness and cooperation would be much appreciated”. The card does not guarantee that you will be allowed to use these facilities as companies are not willing to give such a commitment, but it may confirm that you have a genuine and urgent need. NACC encourages companies to allow access to toilets as part of a good 'customer care' policy and from time to time publicises the Can't Wait Card scheme to make retailers and staff aware of the need. I can say that in shops that do not have customer toilets this card has allowed me to use their staff facilities, of course being escorted. A special gold star has to go to Boots (Kingston Upon Thames) though, as they made every effort to make me feel welcome when using their facilities.

Those living with IBD are also eligible for a RADAR key which gives them access to disabled toilets. I find I use this a lot as the state of some of our public toilets are disgusting. But I get so frustrated when some premises (mainly nightclubs and bars) change the lock to just a standard lock so the RADAR key doesn’t work. I remember one incident 3 years back when I was on a night out and needed to use the facilities and the normal male toilets all the cubicles were blocked with sick. I quickly found the disabled toilet but the lock had changed. A bouncer saw me trying to use the door and asked why. I explained my condition and he was of the view because I wasn’t in a wheelchair I had no right to use the disabled toilet and sent me back to the normal cubicles. Which I did and I had no options but to empty my bowels in the blocked toilets. I felt sick after that not surprisingly and left the club.

I think the point I am trying to get across is if we need to use toilets urgently we will make every effort to find an alternative before asking staff to use theirs. As the embarrassment of trying to explain our condition to them, risk of them not understanding resulting in no access then possibility of having an accident is just not nice! I commend the Tesco’s employee for understanding Carly’s condition but really he should have escorted her to the loos or at least informed back room staff ( i.e. The Manager) that Carly was using the toilet. Tesco head office say it could have been handled better and I suspect they will put in place a procedure that allows unwell staff to use toilets if escorted, and if they Well done them for understanding!

Awareness is the big thing, goto the NACC website, tell your friends and please just have some understanding that’s all we ask...

Actually it's quite gratifying to find out that there ARE community toilet schemes, accessible facilities in town, AND a card scheme to enable people under stress to identify themselves quickly. The other side of the coin is that people with these conditions have to play ball and use these procedures. It's clear that life is easier if they do. This story reminds me of the Easyjet TV documentaries whose purposes were not so much promotional as deterrent. They had a user base who were unfamiliar with scheduled flights and the programmes served to show what intending passengers should NOT do at an airport through watching the unfortunate experiences of others. A recurrent theme was "Don't forget your passport".

TheParkie makes the error of assuming that ALL results from a google search of my name refer to me. A common error of those who presume that everything on the internet must be true.
However it spurs me on to reply to his outrageous and bigoted earlier comment on the main topic that
“he might like to ask how it was that a person with a 6 minute fuse on their toilet habits came to be working in one of their (Tesco) food stores.”
Believe it or not, people with all kinds of disabilities are now allowed to live in the community, go out on their own and even hold down jobs!
Such comments belong with the Ceausescu Regime – or have you already booked your flight to Switzerland when you get old enough to suffer from slight incontinence Parkie?

TheParkie, why exactly would someone with a non contagious bowel disorder not be able to work in a food store?

i think that carly is really brave in highlighting what must be a difficult condition for her to live with. its sad that people like theparkie has such views.

bigmac22, thank you for sharing some very difficult experiences. There is not enough awareness about bowel disorders and I really think that the people with the "pull yourself together" attitude will not change their views unless they are affected themselves or someone close to them are.

TheParkie wrote:
One has to have some sympathy for the store manager's position. The retail world is only too well aware of the public's capacity for getting up to serious mischief in toilets - apart from theft, sex, vandalism and drug-taking it is hard to believe that some members of the public were ever successfully toilet-trained or even have toilets in their own homes the way they treat publicly-provided facilities - and he has a duty of care to his own staff with respect to their health and safety. It is unreasonable to expect a major company like Tesco to maintain a detailed list of who should or should not be allowed into their staff toilets and in my view the manager was reasonable in redirecting her to a nearby set of non-staff toilets. Perhaps Crohn's sufferers should carry an NHS-authorised card identifying them as such though doubtless that would lead to the usual abuses. Certainly if like this lady I was on a 6 minute fuse I would carry some form of explanatory documentation when I was out and about. Indeed I would be negligent not to.

with all due respect parkie you made a valued point that sometimes toilets are not always used for the purpose intended. However as carly's best friend I felt the need to highlight that she does infact carry many different types of explanatory documentation. As she did produce on this occasion a card that stated under the dda act she is entitled to use any toilet due to her disability namely chrones. she also has kidney failure and a stent so she can pass urine that entitles her to use facilities. The tescos policy is that the faclity can be used by the public at the managers discretion. As lucy highlighted has been done previously for her daughter. The manager refused her access to the toilet and as a result she soiled herself! I dont think you can begin to understand how she felt ....they broke about 9 laws and I'm currently taking legal action against them.

Lucy1011 wrote:
In Tesco Richmonds defence they have allowed my daughter to use their own private toilet which i thought was really nice of them. The manager ok'd this aswell and my daughter and i was escorted up. I dont understand what this story is about? A Woman that didnt get her own way and is having a strop is all i see! Im a regular shopper at Tesco Richmond, and i know for a fact that if i had a condition which meant i would wet myself if i didnt get to a toilet within 6 mins then im running straight out the door to the pub which is right outside!! Im not waiting around to find someone to find someone else who finds someone else who has the time to listen to me....and all within 6 minutes...wow i cant even find someone to help me look for an item within 6 minutes and when i do its only for them to find someone else to help me! If this woman was honestly that desperate and would wet herself then i think through all that perlavour her 6 mins would have been up and she would have wet herself, but there's no mention of her doing that? Agree maybe they should introduce toilets for the public, but the shops so small already that you cant get round when there's ques at the checouts, so where would they go? For the time being continue allowing the children to use them and send the adults to the pub straight outside!!

Lucy after reading your posts I can only comment that you feedback is negative and you clearly need to get out more often. your daughter does not have a disibilty that causes her to soil herself if she cannot access a toilet in 2mins, yet she was allocated access to the facilities (my point exactly) . The story is to highlight the 9 laws that tescos broke and bring to light the negligence of the store. As that would be the classification of breaking those laws. She did not have a strop she acted on behalf of a nation of chrones suffers to prevent this happenng again in future as she didnt "wet herself" she soiled herself .... bowel - pooh .... bladder ... liquid! and did produce a card stating the law says she has the right to access any toilet .... that was refused. Are you actually that ignorant that you see 2-6 mins and presume that that means you can hold it for 6 mins? for your information sometimes your bowel opens without warning with chrones and you get no more than a 30 second warning. on this occasion Carly got about 90 seconds and soiled herself prior to leaving the store. I hope that your daughter or someone close to you later in life gets a diagnosis for an auto immune disorder or bowel complaint that results in a similar experience so prehaps you gain some awarness rather than being a bitter little spinster.

bandit63 wrote:
Phillip - The manager was 100% correct. If I found someone I didn't know wandering around a non public area where I work, I would be expected to escort them back to a public area. There are lots of other places in Richmond that she could have gone to. Also, not many stores of Tesco's size have loo's. Why should they provide them - they don't offer catering facilities and it's a small store - I can't think of any SHOP in the brough of that floor size with a loo. This story is a waste of webspace and newsprint - she's got her publicity and R &T fell for it

oh the comments just get better! well i hope that tescos dont employ you as a store manager or they would have allot of educating to do as to whats laws you would be breaking .... she wasnt wondering, she was with another member of staff and provded legal documentation stating the law and her disability! and as for publicity oh please .... do you think thats why she did this? or to prevent chrones suffers like her having to go though the same shame of soiling themself due to others ignorance! she would have gone to the sun if she wanted publicity not the local paper. Clearly you dont really leave the bourough do you. what a sad little individual!

soverignqueen, good luck to you both at getting this highlighted and hope that Carly will get back out and about very soon and try not to let this episode control her. There are people who understand as you can see from a few of the above posts. and then there is TheParkie, bandit and of course the ever sympathic Lucy......

TheParkie wrote:
The fact that there were once public lavatories nearby is certainly ironic. On another tack, if Phillip Taylor wants to challenge Tescos attitude he might like to ask how it was that a person with a 6 minute fuse on their toilet habits came to be working in one of their food stores.

I thought id help you out with your ignorant question directed at phillip.... she was working at another store prior to her diagnosis age 18 !!!! as no normal individual would want to work in there past that age.

Nelly1 wrote:
soverignqueen, good luck to you both at getting this highlighted and hope that Carly will get back out and about very soon and try not to let this episode control her. There are people who understand as you can see from a few of the above posts. and then there is TheParkie, bandit and of course the ever sympathic Lucy......

Many thanks for your positive feedback nelly, I am determined to take legal action against the store, Slightly annoyed it wasnt highlighted that she presented her card and that she infact soiled herself as a result of being denied access, prehaps the author didnt want to cause her further embarresment? ... it's sad that certian individuals have nothing better to do with their time and would rather foucs such a huge amount of negativity towards anothers misfortune. Tescos are aware they have broken the law hence the manager woulnt comment to the paper however admitted verbally that carly was discriminated against due to her disability and the call is recorded. She has been through hundreds of opps for her chrones and other medicial issues, I am just thankfull she is still here strong willed to make a stand and prevent this occuring in future. It disgusts me that such a well established store as tescos can treat anyone in such a way.

richmondmum wrote:
i think that carly is really brave in highlighting what must be a difficult condition for her to live with. its sad that people like theparkie has such views.

thankyou richmond mum, as carly best friend I can speak on her behalf that it is a terrible disability to live with that effects every aspect of her daily life, shes undergone so much surgery I cant begin to list and also suffers with kidney problems, re-active arthritis, has a stent, short bowel syndrome all resulting from chrones. and that its good to see at least some of the local community have some understanding. Tescos have admited lability and taking action to educate the staff involved.

Denbrowne wrote:
The sad irony of this is that there used to be a public toilet just outside Tesco's... The lack of public loos is becoming a real problem, not just in Richmond. Alas tho TheParkie has a point - I used to work in a library & we had problems most times we let people use staff loos - usually to shoot up or smoke crack. I'd have thought tho that Ms Burns was clearly a genuine case.

It was not actually noted in the article that carly produced a card that highlighted carlys conditions and that was confirmation that she is a genuine case.

Lucy1011 wrote:
Let me just point out that ok i may be being harsh and yes shops can make exceptions, on this occasion they said no but she has no visible signs to prove her need nor carry any doctors note for that. I honestly dont see what the big deal is?! When ive been holding it for a while i suddenly need to go too, so people who hold it for too long should have an exeption too? What about the older generation who cant hold it as long? Exception there too? And pregnant woman, yes quite rightly! And then yes the children again quite rightly! But then lets get on to the drunks, they cant hold it and would prob do it in the store! You want them walking around behind the scenes aswell?! What about if their high on drugs? They need to go quickly too, common, you cant have every single customer using your own private work toilet!! Until someone can convince me otherwise im still standing by a woman that thinks she is above everybody else and thinks she should be treated special.....guess again luvvie!

lucy your an ignorant individual. She was carrying a card stating the law and her conditions. Tescos failed to comply with the dda act! and as for your comment that

"otherwise im still standing by a woman that thinks she is above everybody else and thinks she should be treated special.....guess again luvvie!"

I will now take the time to inform you luvvie that your intellect is that of a domestic turkey and she should be treated special as the law states under the disability discrimination act 1995 that when she presents that card to anyone they have the legal duty to -

■Eliminate unlawful disability discrimination and harassment
■Promote equality of opportunity and positive attitudes towards disabled people
■Take account of people’s disabilities (even if this means treating them more favourably)
■Encourage participation by disabled people in public life


did u take note of the 3rd bullet point there luvvie? that was passed in october 2004 and legal action can be taken if the above are not abided by and there is any sign of:

■Direct discrimination
■Failure to make reasonable adjustments
■Disability-relate
d discrimination

so I thnk your beloved tesco's coverd pretty much all of them and thats without highlighting the Equality Regulations laws and Human Rights Laws and the consumer rights laws.

So run allong now luvviee and go and do your homework before you have the audacity to voice you irrevilent opinion in future. you comparing "holding it" and a chrones sufferer "holding it" just shows your stupidity.

so guess again luvvvie she does get treated special and by the sound of it I think you have little lady syndrome and just needed knocked down a peg or two!

Lucy1011 wrote:
Hi Nelly1 its not about having "understanding" of Chron's disease nor whether im fortunate enough never to experiance it. Its about commen sense and the woman needing not to use her disability as an excuse and get some much needed commen sense! Forgive me but please if you know you need to go in 6 mins and know the store doesnt have any public loos then why are you wasting your precious minutes begging to use a loo you have no right too! By all means ask, you get nothing in life if you dont try but, there's no need to call up the paper and try to make a big deal about something you had no right over in the first place! Why should she expect?! My daughter needed to use the loo and i def was not taking her to the pub so i asked the store as soon as she said she needed to go. If they said no then i would leave my shopping and take her starbucks. Theres no big deal, no drama, no song and dance and no fowling of herself as common sense kicks in to say go somewhere where there is public loos for her to use!

you really are quite simple aren't you lucy? tut tut .... I find it rather amusing that you refer to carly's common sence and ironically spell it "commen sense " TWICE lol .... and if it wasnt for the time scale that she was confronted with which was not 6 mins more like 90 seconds from the point in time when she was half way up the stairs with a staff member and then refused access by another member of staff ...then she would have used facilities elsewhere if she could have run with her reactive arthritis to starbucks but the timescale she was left with resulted in her soiling herself in the store! hence the title so degrading !!!!! I have already quoted the law to you so as for her having no right as you put it i ask you refer to the previous post. I dont think I have ever encountered someone that is actually as pathetic and narrow minded as you.

bigmac22 wrote:
I have read all the comments with interest and surprisingly I can agree with a lot of points. I am a 28 year old male who has had Ulcerative Colitis (part of the family of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, which Crohns is part of) for 19 years now and have had to deal with so many people not understanding the condition. During my school life there was little known about the condition and it was quite rare for a child to be affected by it. Even though the school was aware of my condition I still had to deal with teachers not really understanding what it meant. If I had the requirement to use the loo I had to the leave the class there and then. Not the done thing, really I should have put my hand up and ask my teachers permission. I could be on the toilet for up to 20mins at a time with severe discomfort and on my return to class, “Where have you been Mark???” In an angry voice, “in the toilet Mr Morris” I would have say standing in the front of the class being humiliated by the rest of the class. And that was the best scenario. I have lost count of the number of times at school I was restricted from using the toilet and not able to get there fast enough. This resulted in deeply humiliating accidents in the middle of corridors. As I grew older and went out more in towns I would never go more than 100m from a toilet. I also had a ritual of stuffing toilet paper in my underwear and in my pockets incase of an accident. Since diagnosis myself and my family have been member s of the NACC – National Association for Crohns and Colitis( http://www.nacc.org. uk ), which promotes awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. All members receive a plastic card which reads “CAN’T WAIT!, Please help – our member has a medical condition which is not infectious and means they need to use toilet facilities urgently. Your kindness and cooperation would be much appreciated”. The card does not guarantee that you will be allowed to use these facilities as companies are not willing to give such a commitment, but it may confirm that you have a genuine and urgent need. NACC encourages companies to allow access to toilets as part of a good 'customer care' policy and from time to time publicises the Can't Wait Card scheme to make retailers and staff aware of the need. I can say that in shops that do not have customer toilets this card has allowed me to use their staff facilities, of course being escorted. A special gold star has to go to Boots (Kingston Upon Thames) though, as they made every effort to make me feel welcome when using their facilities. Those living with IBD are also eligible for a RADAR key which gives them access to disabled toilets. I find I use this a lot as the state of some of our public toilets are disgusting. But I get so frustrated when some premises (mainly nightclubs and bars) change the lock to just a standard lock so the RADAR key doesn’t work. I remember one incident 3 years back when I was on a night out and needed to use the facilities and the normal male toilets all the cubicles were blocked with sick. I quickly found the disabled toilet but the lock had changed. A bouncer saw me trying to use the door and asked why. I explained my condition and he was of the view because I wasn’t in a wheelchair I had no right to use the disabled toilet and sent me back to the normal cubicles. Which I did and I had no options but to empty my bowels in the blocked toilets. I felt sick after that not surprisingly and left the club. I think the point I am trying to get across is if we need to use toilets urgently we will make every effort to find an alternative before asking staff to use theirs. As the embarrassment of trying to explain our condition to them, risk of them not understanding resulting in no access then possibility of having an accident is just not nice! I commend the Tesco’s employee for understanding Carly’s condition but really he should have escorted her to the loos or at least informed back room staff ( i.e. The Manager) that Carly was using the toilet. Tesco head office say it could have been handled better and I suspect they will put in place a procedure that allows unwell staff to use toilets if escorted, and if they Well done them for understanding! Awareness is the big thing, goto the NACC website, tell your friends and please just have some understanding that’s all we ask...

well said bigmac! I actually suffer from ibs myself and have numerious complaints with regard to my bowel.I am also carly's my best friend so i am some what aware of her difficulties and the lack of understanding in general society with regards to bowel complaints and auto immune disorders, both of us are also members o the NACC and have the cards and keys however I have personally ordered a template that states the dda law and my conditions. Which is not quite as polite as the nacc card which i also carry but I find has a higher rate of getting a better response from. I hope that you never encounter this problem personally. Carly went to the paper so that awareness is raised and people like us dont have to ever go though being humiliated by having an accident as a result of being denied access to facilities that are available and would be left in the same condition we entered them in with the exception of an open window and smell of airfreshner lol.

bandit63 wrote:
Phillip - this is a non story. Richmond has community toilet scheme, whereby most pubs and a lot of other shops etc. happily allow people to walk in off the street and use their facilities - no quesions asked. Please don't patronise me about being old, I do a lot of volunteering with old people and understand the issues they have.I have also suffered from an illness which meant that when I felt the urge to go, I had to very quickly. However, I made a brief effort to make sure I knew where accessible facilities were. My father, who is 76, suuffers from very sudden urges due to a series of illnesses, ye he manages quite well without asking to private facilities.A person who is at fault is the Tesco staff member who allowed someone unescorted into a non public area. In my company they would have been in trouble for that and rightly so With regards to public facilites, I garee they are not good enough AND this council wastes money on stupid things, but there are loads of idiots out there and public loo's get vandilised, used for drug taking, crime and other "offences". This is what costs the councils money. Not the provision but the maitenance and repair. Schemes like the community toilet scheme should be better publisied. There are at least 3 "accessible" loos within 50 yards of Tesco, so common sense dictates she should have gone to one of those and then continued her shopping. People can't think for themselves these days. Lucy - I agree 100% with what you say.

I'd like to see you run to starbucks or 50 yards including getting back down the stairs "old man" .... with 90 seconds from refusal and a bad case of reactive arthritis ... yeah thats right just because she only carries her crutches around if its chronic it dosent mean it dosent hurt! I hope you encounter the same situation with your "bowel complaint that you didnt specify" and maybe after the humiliation of finding yourself soiled in a supermarket you might just reflect on your narrow minded opinion you felt the need to voice!

PeterTeddington wrote:
TheParkie makes the error of assuming that ALL results from a google search of my name refer to me. A common error of those who presume that everything on the internet must be true. However it spurs me on to reply to his outrageous and bigoted earlier comment on the main topic that “he might like to ask how it was that a person with a 6 minute fuse on their toilet habits came to be working in one of their (Tesco) food stores.” Believe it or not, people with all kinds of disabilities are now allowed to live in the community, go out on their own and even hold down jobs! Such comments belong with the Ceausescu Regime – or have you already booked your flight to Switzerland when you get old enough to suffer from slight incontinence Parkie?

lol quality! well said. She actually had chrones while working at the store prior 2 her diagnosis but as anyone with an oz of common sence would know that chrones is a progressive complaint that worsens with age ... so prehaps a bit of educational reading for you TheParkie!
http://www.virtualme
dicalcentre.com/dise
ases.asp?did=175

Carly babe I'm so proud of you, it takes guts to highlight what happened. Most would have been to embarrassed to contact the press. No one deserves to be treated in that manner. Just remember that It is impossible to make some people understand their ignorance because it requires knowledge to perceive it. xxx

soverignqueen, I am interested in this template from the NHS. As a sufferer of IBS (for 24 years) I hold the can't wait card from the Gut trust (formally IBS network) but this seems like it has more power behind it. If there is no link I wonder if you could be good enough to get in touch via the reporter Christine Fleming who has my number. Many thanks

PeterTeddington wrote:
TheParkie makes the error of assuming that ALL results from a google search of my name refer to me. A common error of those who presume that everything on the internet must be true. However it spurs me on to reply to his outrageous and bigoted earlier comment on the main topic that “he might like to ask how it was that a person with a 6 minute fuse on their toilet habits came to be working in one of their (Tesco) food stores.” Believe it or not, people with all kinds of disabilities are now allowed to live in the community, go out on their own and even hold down jobs! Such comments belong with the Ceausescu Regime – or have you already booked your flight to Switzerland when you get old enough to suffer from slight incontinence Parkie?

I merely noted that the result of a search I was inspired to make on the "peterteddingon" pseudonym resulted in some rather dodgy search results. For obvious reasons I was very careful to avoid making any assumption or inference of a connection between the person posting on this thread and a lonely 50+ year old Brit looking for unusual sexual partners on Belgian websites based on a single google text-matching search! It could of course be an unfortunate coincidence. That said the eagle-eyed will spot that the claim that someone else (me) has made a common mistake is a diversionary tactic worthy of a professional politician and not a denial... but that should be easy enough to clear up.

The rest ('outrageous' / 'bigoted'... 'Ceaucescu'/'Switzer
land') is no more than a rhetorical smokescreen.

Nelly1 wrote:
TheParkie, why exactly would someone with a non contagious bowel disorder not be able to work in a food store?

I fear you have taken something out of context from a post of mine. If you revisit that post you will see that it is an invitation to someone with whom I felt was not being reasonable in their approach to Tesco's unfortunate manager to take that line. Hopefully that will clear things up.

Comments were invited on the newspaper's article as it was presented. People responded in good faith on both sides. "Carly's best friend' has offered an alternative version implying that the journalist failed to include material facts in their article e.g. that that the original complainant did indeed both possess and present documentary evidence of her condition at the time of the incident with the Tesco manager. As I have no way of knowing whether this was the case (but can see that it would be a very material fact in any legal case brought against Tesco) I shall await the next official instalment of the story in which maybe we shall see "Carly's best friend' making herself known in person to the Richmond & Twickenham Times (as Nelly1 has done) and carrying out her threat to sue Tesco (and possibly the Richmond and Twickenham Times!) on her friend's behalf.

The COMMUNITY toilet scheme: 90 toilets in pubs, cafés, and offices around the borough are now open to the public. The Council pays the venue £600 a year to allow unrestricted access to the toilets. This is very much cheaper, and offers many more toilets, than the traditional public toilets, which are very expensive to maintain. Just look for the Community Toilet sign outside.

14 places in RICHMOND have joined the scheme: Angel; Buccleuch Gardens; Hollyhock Cafe; House of Fraser; O'Neill's; Old Town Hall; Pizza al Rollo; Pizza Express; Red Cow; Richmond Arms; Roebuck; Slug and Lettuce; Tea Box; and Tide Tables.

In KEW, Kew Gardens Hotel, Marks & Spencers, St Luke's in the Avenue, The Coach and Horses and The Railway have joined the scheme.

In HAM the New Inn, the Hand and Flower, and Ham Clinic have joined the scheme.

I recommend that Philip Taylor should take up any concerns he has about the working of the scheme with his ward councillors, Jane Dodds & Celia Hodges .

Nelly1 wrote:
soverignqueen, I am interested in this template from the NHS. As a sufferer of IBS (for 24 years) I hold the can't wait card from the Gut trust (formally IBS network) but this seems like it has more power behind it. If there is no link I wonder if you could be good enough to get in touch via the reporter Christine Fleming who has my number. Many thanks

its not an nhs template i designed my own on this site:

http://www.ucardit.c
o.uk/uCardit-medical
.aspx?gclid=COCTxcvf
6p8CFdkB4wodW27SYg

and stated the dda law on the card that i highlighted 2 little miss lucy and my photo and diagnosis, thats the only alternative to the i cant wait card as the nhs dont issue them, only a paper diagnosis, i added the uk flag to the top header and a small paragraph explaining that my condition requres me to use bathroom facilities urgently and would appriciate their co-operation. for some reason your photo on a card and the law printed next to it gets a faster response, by the way you have prob already tried them but ive found Golden linseeds that Can be added to foods such as breakfast cereal, yoghurts and soups really helpfull for my ibs x

TheParkie wrote:
Comments were invited on the newspaper's article as it was presented. People responded in good faith on both sides. "Carly's best friend' has offered an alternative version implying that the journalist failed to include material facts in their article e.g. that that the original complainant did indeed both possess and present documentary evidence of her condition at the time of the incident with the Tesco manager. As I have no way of knowing whether this was the case (but can see that it would be a very material fact in any legal case brought against Tesco) I shall await the next official instalment of the story in which maybe we shall see "Carly's best friend' making herself known in person to the Richmond & Twickenham Times (as Nelly1 has done) and carrying out her threat to sue Tesco (and possibly the Richmond and Twickenham Times!) on her friend's behalf.

I wouldnt refer to any of your feedback as "in good faith", rather of a negitive, critical, malicious nature. you can refer to me as Michelle Ifill-Cleere as I have no problem if you feel the need to google my name a view my online profiles if thats what you like to do with any spare time you have. lol

I did not offer an alternative version of what happened merely advised you of the parts that the journalist left out after reading your shallow comments.

I couldnt give a monkeys if you believe what ive told you or not, however you clearly seem to believe everything you read in the paper.

I have no intention to "sue the richmond & twickenham times" as they have been rather helpfull and would hold no resentment towards them as its not their responsibility if idiots read their paper and choose to voice their opinion on the grounds of readinf between the lines and presuming that every - step-action-word and breath relating either member of the parties mentioned in the incident and article was highlighted in the story, they provided no incorrect information.

It's not a threat I am currently pursuing a claim against Tesco's for their negligence and the humiliation caused as its disgusting treatment that no individual with a disability should have to endure as a result of anothers ignorance. As soon as I hear back from a solicitors who's fee's I'm happy with they will start the case, there is not a shortage of companies willing to pursue the claim.

My E-mail is held on the registration of my account so if "The Richmond and Twickenham Times" feel the need to contact me they can do so by all means. Carly also holds my contact details which I have provided her consent to pass on to the paper if they require them.

TheParkie wrote:

Nelly1 wrote: TheParkie, why exactly would someone with a non contagious bowel disorder not be able to work in a food store?

I fear you have taken something out of context from a post of mine. If you revisit that post you will see that it is an invitation to someone with whom I felt was not being reasonable in their approach to Tesco's unfortunate manager to take that line. Hopefully that will clear things up.

from where i'm sitting the only thing "out of context" is your views and comments that are only made on your own perception of what didn't happen that you somehow came to the conclusion of in your own little mind (ie. carly not carrying a card specifying her condition)

ChrisSquire wrote:
The COMMUNITY toilet scheme: 90 toilets in pubs, cafés, and offices around the borough are now open to the public. The Council pays the venue £600 a year to allow unrestricted access to the toilets. This is very much cheaper, and offers many more toilets, than the traditional public toilets, which are very expensive to maintain. Just look for the Community Toilet sign outside. 14 places in RICHMOND have joined the scheme: Angel; Buccleuch Gardens; Hollyhock Cafe; House of Fraser; O'Neill's; Old Town Hall; Pizza al Rollo; Pizza Express; Red Cow; Richmond Arms; Roebuck; Slug and Lettuce; Tea Box; and Tide Tables. In KEW, Kew Gardens Hotel, Marks & Spencers, St Luke's in the Avenue, The Coach and Horses and The Railway have joined the scheme. In HAM the New Inn, the Hand and Flower, and Ham Clinic have joined the scheme. I recommend that Philip Taylor should take up any concerns he has about the working of the scheme with his ward councillors, Jane Dodds & Celia Hodges .

Thankyou, some usefull info!

My ward councillors are Tories in South Richmoind and not the 2 Liberals plus one other in North Richmond, Chris Squire, so they would hardly take up my call if I raised it with them as they don't represent me.
LIBERAL PARTY FAILURE
It is your Party in power here, Mr Squire, not the Tories. You are great at criticising lack of loos until you get into power then you backtrack- typical. I suppose you are only interested when you can take someone else's successes for your own...as usual.

And, to answer bandit- is this still a non-story, then?

Phillip Taylor

bandit63 wrote:
Phillip - The manager was 100% correct. If I found someone I didn't know wandering around a non public area where I work, I would be expected to escort them back to a public area. There are lots of other places in Richmond that she could have gone to. Also, not many stores of Tesco's size have loo's. Why should they provide them - they don't offer catering facilities and it's a small store - I can't think of any SHOP in the brough of that floor size with a loo. This story is a waste of webspace and newsprint - she's got her publicity and R &T fell for it

Also you cant be thinking that hard then can you bandit63? .... as starbucks has a smaller floor size than tescos ... and so does every hairdressing SHOP in the "BOROUGH" unless of corse you were refering to the East Cumbrian village of Brough, which has no relation to the story or the richmond BOROUGH or article what so ever.... what an idiot? Also if we were all to be so opinionated i'd say that you were a waste of space and oxygen as we all seem to be entitled to voice our opinions so openly here.

Phillip Taylor wrote:
My ward councillors are Tories in South Richmoind and not the 2 Liberals plus one other in North Richmond, Chris Squire, so they would hardly take up my call if I raised it with them as they don't represent me. LIBERAL PARTY FAILURE It is your Party in power here, Mr Squire, not the Tories. You are great at criticising lack of loos until you get into power then you backtrack- typical. I suppose you are only interested when you can take someone else's successes for your own...as usual. And, to answer bandit- is this still a non-story, then? Phillip Taylor

I think that bandit has taken a back seat after the response recieved on his unproductive feedback 8-) in my opinion its not the lack of loo's thats the problem but the access to the loo's that are already there in stores like tescos for exmaple.

TheParkie wrote:
Actually it's quite gratifying to find out that there ARE community toilet schemes, accessible facilities in town, AND a card scheme to enable people under stress to identify themselves quickly. The other side of the coin is that people with these conditions have to play ball and use these procedures. It's clear that life is easier if they do. This story reminds me of the Easyjet TV documentaries whose purposes were not so much promotional as deterrent. They had a user base who were unfamiliar with scheduled flights and the programmes served to show what intending passengers should NOT do at an airport through watching the unfortunate experiences of others. A recurrent theme was "Don't forget your passport".

what a fun guy ... so you spend your time on google trying to identify screen names to people that comment on news articles and watch easy jet tv documentries and making malicious comments on random news articles in your local paper? haha it's actually rather amusing ..... has anyone ever advised you that it may be beneficial for you to leave the house more often?

my mistake "borough" all this bad spelling seems to have become contagious

I think this lady should not be getting all this bad feedback as at the end of the day all she has done is spoke out about what has happened to her. I myself no not to just jump the gun and believe what we read in the papers as they don't always state the whole facts (like the Matthew Napper case). I myself have a problem where i cant always hold it and have many a time had to run to different places to find a loo i can use, so i understand the frustration this can cause if you cant find one or they are being used. Please support this lady not turn on her. Also why is it a little girl can use the loo with no problems but a lady with a medical problem cant?? I hope this never happens to this lady again. All the best in the case and don't let people with small minds get to you.

lyndzndan wrote:
I think this lady should not be getting all this bad feedback as at the end of the day all she has done is spoke out about what has happened to her. I myself no not to just jump the gun and believe what we read in the papers as they don't always state the whole facts (like the Matthew Napper case). I myself have a problem where i cant always hold it and have many a time had to run to different places to find a loo i can use, so i understand the frustration this can cause if you cant find one or they are being used. Please support this lady not turn on her. Also why is it a little girl can use the loo with no problems but a lady with a medical problem cant?? I hope this never happens to this lady again. All the best in the case and don't let people with small minds get to you.

small minds are an epidemic at the moment as you can see 8-) .... thanks for the positive comment on the article, Carly was quite upset by some of the arrogant responses but dosent have a computer to access the site so aked me to thank anyone who has left any positive comments for her, It's good to see there are people who are not as shallow minded around, if you suffer with any similar problems you should apply for some of the free cards available from sites such as this one:http://www.bladd
erandbowelfoundation
.org/support-and-ser
vices/library-and-re
sources/just-cant-wa
it-card.htm or create your own on the ucardit link i posted to nelly above. hope thats beneficial to you

I do wonder about the mentality of some of this. I worked for a while with someone who developed IBS following the birth of one of her offspring so I may be more familiar with this than some here give me credit, albeit that it was in the bad old days before the introduction of card schemes / community toilets etc etc. But there again everyone has their little preconceptions don't they? My colleague was quite laid back about it. But here I see evil wished towards other people's children, repeated
suggestions that everyone else should "get out more" and someone being told that her intellect was on a par with a domestic turkey (an interesting personal yardstick that!) and I wonder what an innocent bystander would make of it all. You really couldn't make it up. I do quite like the idea of ?Michelle's "nation of chrones" though... Roll on the next edition of the RTT!

I hearby declare that baiting TheParkie should become a national pass time. I look forward to all his future comments. . . . . (Oops! Too many full stops again)

TheParkie wrote:
I do wonder about the mentality of some of this. I worked for a while with someone who developed IBS following the birth of one of her offspring so I may be more familiar with this than some here give me credit, albeit that it was in the bad old days before the introduction of card schemes / community toilets etc etc. But there again everyone has their little preconceptions don't they? My colleague was quite laid back about it. But here I see evil wished towards other people's children, repeated suggestions that everyone else should "get out more" and someone being told that her intellect was on a par with a domestic turkey (an interesting personal yardstick that!) and I wonder what an innocent bystander would make of it all. You really couldn't make it up. I do quite like the idea of ?Michelle's "nation of chrones" though... Roll on the next edition of the RTT!

near offspring? that sounds like the birth of an animal? prehaps a domestic turkey haha, im presuming you ment "child" which is what humans produce, obviously not a parent are you? ..... oops to many full stops again! haha evil wish towards other people children ..... but hang on I thought that chrones was just needing to pooh and people can hold it according to lucy and you agreeing 100% i think was your quote? ....and just an excuse to class yourself as being better than everyone else and thinking you have the right to be treated special? yeah that was it! .... and my comments relating to peoples lack of the outside world were merly observations of the amout of time they spent commenting on an article on a random person that they don't even know and have no idea about their condition, that to me is a sugesstion that infact yes you do all need to get out more often. With regards to the domestic turkey comment i was actually stuck as to a comparrison for her intellect as I couldnt think of any creature with an iq as low? so googled the worlds most stupid animal and found my intresting yard stick comment! you know ... google .... that place where you like to type in peoples screen names in your spare time parkie, I took a leaf out of your book, Apparently an innocent bystander such as peter finds you as amusing as I do? and as for my idea of a "nation of chrones sufferers" you can find them here http://www.nacc.org.
uk/content/home.asp .... just click at the bottom of the page to access the 30,400 and rising members. I can provide you links to the other many sites if you want to acquaint youself with the rest of them? Was there anything further you required my indepth knowledge about?

PeterTeddington wrote:
I hearby declare that baiting TheParkie should become a national pass time. I look forward to all his future comments. . . . . (Oops! Too many full stops again)

all those if favour say I with one or two many full stops hahaha .....

TheParkie wrote:
I do wonder about the mentality of some of this. I worked for a while with someone who developed IBS following the birth of one of her offspring so I may be more familiar with this than some here give me credit, albeit that it was in the bad old days before the introduction of card schemes / community toilets etc etc. But there again everyone has their little preconceptions don't they? My colleague was quite laid back about it. But here I see evil wished towards other people's children, repeated
suggestions that everyone else should "get out more" and someone being told that her intellect was on a par with a domestic turkey (an interesting personal yardstick that!) and I wonder what an innocent bystander would make of it all. You really couldn't make it up. I do quite like the idea of ?Michelle's "nation of chrones" though... Roll on the next edition of the RTT!

You must put me in touch with your friend so she can show me how to be laid back when I'm just about to poo my pants!
I....

Nelly1 wrote:

TheParkie wrote: I do wonder about the mentality of some of this. I worked for a while with someone who developed IBS following the birth of one of her offspring so I may be more familiar with this than some here give me credit, albeit that it was in the bad old days before the introduction of card schemes / community toilets etc etc. But there again everyone has their little preconceptions don't they? My colleague was quite laid back about it. But here I see evil wished towards other people's children, repeated suggestions that everyone else should "get out more" and someone being told that her intellect was on a par with a domestic turkey (an interesting personal yardstick that!) and I wonder what an innocent bystander would make of it all. You really couldn't make it up. I do quite like the idea of ?Michelle's "nation of chrones" though... Roll on the next edition of the RTT!

You must put me in touch with your friend so she can show me how to be laid back when I'm just about to poo my pants! I....

well said nelly lol ... prehaps she could have some great tips for us all 8-)

TheParkie wrote:
I do wonder about the mentality of some of this. I worked for a while with someone who developed IBS following the birth of one of her offspring so I may be more familiar with this than some here give me credit, albeit that it was in the bad old days before the introduction of card schemes / community toilets etc etc. But there again everyone has their little preconceptions don't they? My colleague was quite laid back about it. But here I see evil wished towards other people's children, repeated suggestions that everyone else should "get out more" and someone being told that her intellect was on a par with a domestic turkey (an interesting personal yardstick that!) and I wonder what an innocent bystander would make of it all. You really couldn't make it up. I do quite like the idea of ?Michelle's "nation of chrones" though... Roll on the next edition of the RTT!

yeah roll on the next edition of rtt ..... http://www.thisisloc
allondon.co.uk/where
ilive/southwest/rich
mond/4999897.Global_
response_to_Crohn___
s_sufferer_s_story/

..... a global response from that idea i had yeah thats right all the other chrones suffers, sorry to crush your world parkie as it appears to be part of your superiority complex to try and belittle people but you failed in your attempt to put your opinion accross as i dont note the title being ... chrones patient thinks shes better than community or poor tescos store manager? ..... and you will never know for sure that not everyone makes comments on fact and not assumption like you ... will you! i now realize the true meaning of the expression lol !

To summarise for those who have made it this far this thread is a collective response to an article posted by a journalist from the RTT.

Initially it was queried why, given the nature of her condition, the complainant had not presented some formal documentation informing others of the urgency of her needs and why there were no toilets available in the centre of Richmond which she seems to visit regularly. It subsequently emerged that Richmond Council has made arrangements with a number of locations in their Community Toilet Scheme (of which to be scrupulously fair the George Street Tesco is not a participant) and that there is indeed a fast-track ID card system for those with incontinence issues. Then a friend of the complainant joined the thread in a somewhat "ebullient" manner. Hidden away amidst the ensuing streams of invective and threats of legal action were some salient details: she stated that the complainant had indeed carried the appropriate documentation along with special keys giving her access to "disabled" toilets and had presented the documentation to the manager in Tesco but to no avail, with the result that the encounter had had a most unfortunate outcome, described in some detail elsewhere in the thread. These differences being substantive omissions from the earlier RTT account were highlighted and drawn to the attention of the RTT who have since produced an updated and retro-fitted version, although it is not yet as explicit as perhaps it should be about the documentation being produced. Whether this is pussyfooting to protect the RTT's future advertising income from Tesco is a matter of surmise. It would of course help everyone reading these articles and comments if Tesco would provide some substantive input to this story. Somehow given the threats of legal action this seems unlikely to happen. However also tucked away amidst all the afore-mentioned invective reference was made to the existence of a recording of a phone call involving the Tesco manager. I don't know why the call was recorded but a recorded call can of course be transcribed and it might shed further light on this extraordinary story.

Perhaps I should post this on the new thread. But hey my 10 minutes is up.

TheParkie wrote:
To summarise for those who have made it this far this thread is a collective response to an article posted by a journalist from the RTT. Initially it was queried why, given the nature of her condition, the complainant had not presented some formal documentation informing others of the urgency of her needs and why there were no toilets available in the centre of Richmond which she seems to visit regularly. It subsequently emerged that Richmond Council has made arrangements with a number of locations in their Community Toilet Scheme (of which to be scrupulously fair the George Street Tesco is not a participant) and that there is indeed a fast-track ID card system for those with incontinence issues. Then a friend of the complainant joined the thread in a somewhat "ebullient" manner. Hidden away amidst the ensuing streams of invective and threats of legal action were some salient details: she stated that the complainant had indeed carried the appropriate documentation along with special keys giving her access to "disabled" toilets and had presented the documentation to the manager in Tesco but to no avail, with the result that the encounter had had a most unfortunate outcome, described in some detail elsewhere in the thread. These differences being substantive omissions from the earlier RTT account were highlighted and drawn to the attention of the RTT who have since produced an updated and retro-fitted version, although it is not yet as explicit as perhaps it should be about the documentation being produced. Whether this is pussyfooting to protect the RTT's future advertising income from Tesco is a matter of surmise. It would of course help everyone reading these articles and comments if Tesco would provide some substantive input to this story. Somehow given the threats of legal action this seems unlikely to happen. However also tucked away amidst all the afore-mentioned invective reference was made to the existence of a recording of a phone call involving the Tesco manager. I don't know why the call was recorded but a recorded call can of course be transcribed and it might shed further light on this extraordinary story. Perhaps I should post this on the new thread. But hey my 10 minutes is up.

yawn! your tantrums were actually amusing at first now its just boring, get a normal hobby ...