Toilets under the spotlight in Bristol

One of Bristol's recently criticised public loos

After being criticised on television for having some of the worst public toilets in the UK, Bristol is finally getting to grips with the problem.

In March, the BBC programme 'UK's Worst... Toilet' singled out lavatories in the city after they were nominated by members of the public.

The council promised to act and public pissoirs have since been introduced in the city centre to cut down on street urination.

And now, students at the University of the West of England (UWE) have been awarded £200,000 to continue their research into late-night binge drinking.

'Binge drinking'

They are particularly looking at how toilets in cities like Bristol will have to change to comply with forthcoming legislation.

Dr Clara Greed, head of the project, said: "Local authorities should bring toilets up to standard to meet new disabled access requirements.

"But often the cost of doing this means that facilities are being closed rather than improved or rebuilt.

"There is undoubtedly a problem with male urination after binge drinking, but we believe that toilet planning needs to meet the needs of all users.

"Our research will look at ways of improving planning so that toilet provision is approached with the universal needs of the entire population as a prime consideration," she added.