Adapted toilet facilities have improved in London.
Increasingly, restaurants, cafés, pubs, shopping areas, hotels, museums, attractions and stations have accessible loos. If you're not a customer of the business, it's up to the service provider whether they'll let you use the lavatory.
Accessible Toilets – National Key Scheme
There are thousands of public toilets in the capital that are accessible to disabled people.
Many are accessible through the National Key Scheme (NKS). The principle behind the NKS is, if local authorities and other organisations decide to lock toilets in order to prevent misuse, they should use a standard lock.
There are 900 toilets in the NKS in Greater London. The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilition (RADAR) maintains a list of toilets in the scheme, this is published annually in the National Key Scheme Guide. Keys and copies of the guide are available from RADAR; there is a small charge (£3.50) for a key.
For further information visit RADAR's website.
Accessible Toilets At London Stations
Accessible toilets can be found in most mainline rail stations in London.
For visitors travelling around the capital by Tube, Transport for London have a comprehensive map that shows which underground stations have toilets and what facilities are available at each one. Ask for a map at any underground station or download the map on the Transport for London website.
Open London Scheme
As part of his commitment to improve the quality of life in London, the Mayor launched the Open London scheme in 2009. The scheme set out to increase access to toilets across London by asking businesses to open up their toilets for public use.
A number of major retailers – Asda, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Tesco – agreed to let people use their customer toilets without having to make a purchase. Other accessible toilets can be found in places such as Tourist Information Centres, fast food restaurants, some pubs and restaurants and many of London's major tourist attractions.
Inclusive London
Inclusive London is an online nationwide access register to buildings, venues and services. Inclusive London’s listings are compiled from Access Audits, guided telephone access assessments, information supplied by the businesses listed and user-contributed information.
Visit the Inclusive London website for comprehensive access information on accessible toilets in London.
Find A Toilet Using Sat Lav
The City of Westminster has an innovative service Sat Lav to help locate the nearest public convenience in the borough 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Simply text the word "TOILET" to 80097 and you will receive a return text with the location and opening hours of the nearest public toilet. Texts cost 25p plus your network standard rate. The service is only available in Central London.
Search For Public Toilets Online With Blue Badge
The Blue Badge website gives locations and general information about public toilets throughout all of London.
You can use this service to specify whether you need any public toilet, a RADAR NKS toilet, or a Changing Places toilet (which offers facilities for disabled people requiring assistance from a carer). This information is very useful in helping you plan your day out in advance, knowing that the facilities you need will be available nearby.
