Recent research has revealed a surprising and concerning fact: Bath’s public toilets are among the dirtiest in Britain. Despite 11 out of 14 public restrooms in the World Heritage city charging an entry fee, the facilities scored a dismal 2.1 out of 100 for hygiene according to Business Waste, a waste management consultancy.
The ranking, based on analysis of Google review data, found that 27% of comments about Bath’s public toilets included the word “dirty.” While Bath holds the unenviable position of second dirtiest, York took the top spot with an even lower hygiene score of -1.5 out of 100.
Mark Hall, Co-owner and waste management expert at Business Waste, stressed the importance of maintaining clean public amenities: “Public toilets are essential services that are unfortunately disappearing and frequently in poor condition. This is a public health concern and also impacts accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities who rely on these facilities daily.”
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Hall also questioned the value of charging for access to toilets given the poor cleanliness ratings: “It’s alarming that many of the dirtiest toilets actually charge users. If fees are collected, they should be reinvested into proper cleaning and maintenance to ensure everyone can use these spaces safely.”
Nearby, Bristol was identified as having the fifth dirtiest public toilets with a hygiene score of just 13.6 out of 100. Interestingly, user reviews for Bristol’s toilets were split evenly between mentions of clean and dirty conditions.
The data also challenged the assumption that paid toilets are cleaner. Free or low-cost toilets often received better hygiene ratings, while paid facilities tended to rank worse. For example, York Castle charges 40p per visit but still has a hygiene score of only 1.7 out of 5, with over half the reviews mentioning “dirty.”
Responding to the findings, Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “This survey was commissioned by a brand and aims to promote its business. We take all complaints about our public toilets seriously. Our facilities, managed by Healthmatic, are continuously monitored to maintain cleanliness and safety.”