LETTERs

Taking advantage of our pub loos

I read with interest how some local authorities are asking pubs to allow the general public to use their toilets (MA, 14 February 2008).

Its unbelievable to think that any licensee in his/her right mind would allow the general public to use their nice, clean (most of the time) loos with fresh toilet paper, hot water and soap, when local authorities fail so well in their attempts at public conveniences, which 99% of the time are filthy, have no toilet paper, no hot water to wash your hands, no lighting and stink.

These people probably oversee the health officers who visit our pubs and would scorn us for not having all these essential items to hand.

Just because our local authorities cannot manage a simple task, such as public loos, please do not assume that because you offer a measly £1,000 to a licensee he/she is going to take on that challenge - because that is what it will be, a challenge.

Are we licensees going to allow school kids in to use our loos, mothers with pushchairs, who will probably feel very uncomfortable due to this country being so embarrassed about its younger generation, having scorned kids in pubs for years. Will a measly £1,000 cover graffiti, stolen toilet paper by the ton, extra cleaning duties - every hour probably, to make sure our own cash-paying customers have a clean toilet to use - the extra hot water, soap etc.

The answer is a huge no. The British taxpayer pays through the nose to live in this country, we should and do expect better public conveniences from our local authorities, but as usual this seems an impossibly tall order. This is just another cut to make up for someone else's shortcomings.

Charles Gilbert

sent via email from

pubvoice@yahoo.co.uk

JDW: the big-brother approach

Further to the kids in pubs article - "Family Values" - on the 24 January, I think JD Wetherspoon's policy on restricting alcohol sales to parents with children is flawed.

Surely a more equitable rule would be that if parents bring children into a pub for a meal, one of them should be restricted to only two alcoholic drinks (on the basis that they could be driving a car).

Isn't this also something of a big brother/nanny-state approach? Why should parents be dictated to in such a way? I wonder whether Wetherspoon (or rather Tim Martin) would appreciate being compared to our current government?

Isn't this a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to on-trade responsibilities?

David R Jones FFA ABII

David R Jones & Co, Financial Accountants, Wetherby, West Yorkshire

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

If a pub or a club can afford to sell drinks at rock-bottom prices, why not? The supermarkets have been doing it for years, at our expense. Pubs get blamed for binge drinking, drunkenness, serving underage people etc. If I was a 16-year-old, I wouldn't bother risking underage drinking in a pub, getting sloshed and paying £2.60 per pint or more. Why not go to a supermarket and buy three cases of lager for £20.

So what would you do? You know it makes sense.

I can't understand why, with this smoking ban, restrictions on outside drinking, continuous price rises, rent increases, electricity and gas prices sky-rocketting, everybody hasn't got a pub.

But then again they have their house, they can smoke, drink, dance, sing, eat and be merry. After all that is what a pub is all about. Sorry was.

J Westaway

Black Horse Inn, Stratford St Mary, Colchester, Suffolk