'I'll never shop there again' - says Banbury woman as Sainsbury refuses to budge on toilets closure

Social media has been alive with complaints from angry customers who are promising to shop elsewhere. The store says it cannot manage the vandalism to its lavatories.

Sue Leech, of Broughton said “All they want is profit and they don't care about their customers. I won’t shop there again.”

She has written to CEO Simon Roberts explaining that many people need a toilet when they go shopping.

“There are many people who may need to urgently access a public toilet. These include those with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, bowel or bladder control issues and with a stoma.

“Then there are those with disabilities, including those with limited mobility, cognitive impairment or other hidden disabilities, not to mention parents or carers with young children and pregnant mothers.

“I was visiting the Banbury store with my 11-year-old grandson, when he had an urgent need to go to the toilet. We were directed to Customer Services and a member of staff took him to the staff toilets upstairs. He was embarrassed to have to ask, and I wasn't so keen on him going off with a stranger.

“My solution would be to reposition the toilets so staff are able to see who is going in and out, and if it was in a busier part of the store, perhaps they wouldn't get vandalised so often. The present toilets were right at the end of the store, away from the tills and security.”

Sainsbury’s told the Banbury Guardian: “The response we have is that there are multiple reasons why we took the decision to shut our facilities. This decision was not taken lightly, however as mentioned by the customer themselves, we are allowing customers to use our staff facilities if they require it due to any disabilities/inconveniences. We also have a toilet in our petrol station accessible for customers. I hope this clarifies our position on the matter.”

Mrs Leech said: “Last time I went to Sainsbury, a man was there with his small son who needed the toilet. I told him to go to customer services as I had been told people could use the staff toilets. He was told to go to the petrol station.

"I said I was disgusted with at this state of affairs. The staff member said Sainsbury’s wasn't a public facility, so they didn't need to provide toilets. Her attitude made me feel very uncomfortable. She said the toilets had been defaced with faeces and she wouldn't expect her staff to clean them, but I always thought the toilets looked neglected at the best of times.

"It may even be a cost-cutting exercise as Sainsburys are also shedding staff and closing the fresh pizza sections in their stores. They removed the glass recycling bins some time ago and closed the cafe years ago. It seems that all they are interested in is profit. The other supermarkets in Banbury have smart cafes and clean and welcoming toilets.”

• Sainsbury is planning to open a local store in Longford Park only a few hundred yards from the Oxford Road superstore.