UK: Local newspaper exposes public toilet as gay cruising spot
Residents in the English town of Ashbourne have reacted with alarm after a local newspaper revealed that a public toilet is used as a gay cruising spot.
The Ashbourne News Telegraph reveals that the listing for a public toilet in the area has had almost 2,000 views on a gay cruising website, adding that the description says the toilet attracts “reps, bikers, businessmen, married guys, straight men, and truckers.” It adds that one comment describes a “peephole.”.
A worker at a nearby recycling centre told the paper: “We always see cars outside there, there are always people in there doing things. You’ll go in there and if you disturb them they will run out. People go in there with their kids just to use the toilet, it’s not right.”
A local resident said: “I’m sure a lot of people who park outside are innocently stopping off on their lunch break to read a paper or eat a sandwich but you start to recognise people who are there all the time.
“I have nothing against gays; it would be the same if it was a man or woman up to no good. It’s a public toilet.”
A spokesperson for the local Derbyshire Police told the paper: “We are aware that the toilets are occasionally used for this purpose and the cemetery is one of the areas in the town we patrol.
“Residents call us when they see suspicious activity at the cemetery and officers take positive action against anyone found acting in an anti-social way in the area.”
Sexual activity within a public lavatory breaks the 2003 Sexual Offences Act.
