THE sizzling temperatures that hit the borough last weekend brought with them hundreds of visitors to the resorts beaches. Just before the bank holiday, Gorleston's beach and clifftop was packed with families enjoying the sunshine and the Mercury decided to survey the town's public toilets to see if they would meet visitor expectations.

THE sizzling temperatures that hit the borough last weekend brought with them hundreds of visitors to the resorts beaches.

Just before the bank holiday, Gorleston's beach and clifftop was packed with families enjoying the sunshine and the Mercury decided to survey the town's public toilets to see if they would meet visitor expectations.

It follows a similar survey carried out in Great Yarmouth where public loos scored high in cleanliness, washing facilities and toilet roll provision.

Each toilet was assessed using a rating system according to specific criteria, including general cleanliness, levels of graffiti, hand-washing and drying facilities, provision of toilet roll and baby changing facilities. The top mark was five.

Top marks in both the ladies and gents categories went to the loos at Pier Gardens which were very clean - a good achievement when they were being used constantly by visitors - and a far cry from the public loo perception of water-logged floors and overwhelming smells.

A fresh smell and excellent washing facilities meant these toilets were champions of the porcelain premiership.

The Ravine toilets on the cliff top also scored highly, despite looking like a prison cell, they were clean and feature an automatic soap and water dispenser and hand drier.

The toilets in the High Street, opposite the Feathers pub, scored well for cleanliness and washing facilities, if a little gloomy.

Assisting the Mercury on this check was 25-year-old blind woman Siobhan Meade, who gave her views on the public loos.

She highlighted spacious cubicles and washing areas, and cleanliness, as the most important factors for blind people when using public toilets.

“The toilets were pretty good, they were spacious, the surfaces felt clean and the smelt ok. Because I rely on touch it's important that the surface areas are clean and knowing there are no hazards in there like needles.”

She said the positioning of bins can sometimes cause problems, although it didn't in this case.

The loo-ser award went to Brush Quay which had a damp floor in the gents with pieces of toilet roll stuck on the ceiling. And nose pegs were the order of the day in the ladies loos, which also had litter strewn across the floor.

High Street (Feathers)

Cleanliness 4 ladies 4 gents

Toilet rolls 4 ladies 3 gents

Washing facilities 3 ladies 4 gents

Baby changing None

Graffiti None

Warden No

Brush Quay

Cleanliness 2 ladies 2 gents

Toilet roll 4 ladies 3 gents

Washing facilities 2 ladies 2 gents

Baby changing None

Graffiti None

Warden No

Pier Gardens

Cleanliness 5 ladies 5 gents

Toilet roll 5 ladies 5 gents

Washing facilities 5 ladies 5 gents

Baby changing Yes

Graffiti None

Warden Yes

Ravine

Cleanliness 4 ladies 3 gents

Toilet roll 3 ladies 3 gents

Washing facilities 4 ladies 4 gents

Baby changing None

Graffiti None

Warden No