I have a medical condition which means I need to use the toilet urgently, but I was refused access to the staff bathrooms at Sainsbury’s and told by a manager that I didn’t care

A man with a medical condition requiring urgent use of the toilet was refused entry by Sainsbury’s manager.

Christopher Porter-Blake, from Lancashire, who was diagnosed with partial bowel paralysis in 2023 as a result of a spinal cord injury he suffered years earlier, revealed on Saturday that he had been denied access to the toilet at the Cromwell Road branch of Kensington Sainsbury. was denied.

When he explained he had a medical condition and showed his Just Can’t Wait Card toilet access card, given to him by an NHS specialist bowel nurse, he claimed the manager told him the toilets were ‘for staff only’ goods.

However, after Christopher pointed out that there is a legal obligation to make a reasonable adjustment for people with disabilities, her response is said to have been: ‘I don’t care’.

Christopher, who bears the name @LawAspi on X, formerly known as Twitter, took to the platform to share his frustration.

Sharing a photo of his blue Just Can’t Wait Card, the post, which racked up more than 16,000 likes, read: ‘Hello @sainsburys, your Kensington store manager Marika has just refused me access to a bathroom. Despite this being presented. I am looking forward to your reaction.’

According to Bladder & Bowel In the UK, the ‘Just Can’t Wait Card’ is recognized and supported by many retail and service organisations.

The aim is to give people with certain medical conditions access to toilets that are not normally accessible to the public.

The card description on the Bladder & Bowel UK site reads: ‘For when you’re on the go. Handy credit card size card. Can be displayed in cafes, restaurants, entertainment venues and other businesses.

‘Although access is not guaranteed, the cards are widely accepted and recognised. ‘

The Equality Act says there is a duty to make reasonable adjustments if a person’s disability puts them at a substantial disadvantage. If someone fails to comply with their duty to make reasonable adjustments, the Equality Act says this is unlawful discrimination.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Christopher, who also has AUDHD autism and ADHD, said: ‘On the morning of 24/09/24 I visited the Natural History Museum with my wife for her birthday weekend, and I happened to be near the Sainsbury’s at the time the need arose.

‘I promptly walked into the shop and looked for a customer toilet, but to my horror there wasn’t even a disabled toilet! Apparently these have been closed for some time but being from Lancashire I couldn’t have known or been expected to know.

‘I expressed my concern to a nice lady manning the tills and said, ‘Go to customer service and someone would help.’

‘As I got closer I saw a manager and indicated that I urgently needed to use the toilet at that moment and that I was in fact disabled.

‘The answer was ‘no, it’s just staff’. I told her there is a legal obligation to make a reasonable adjustment and her response was ‘I don’t care’.

‘I said I would investigate the matter further and the response was ‘that’s fine’. And I was told that the nearest toilet was in a hotel somewhere 300 meters away. As a disabled person walking at the same pace as a toddler, that is quite a distance!’

Christopher added that other stores had previously accommodated his requested restroom.

He said: ‘Waitrose, Boots and Spar stores have all given me access to staff toilets when needed and just escorted me back and forth without any problem.’

Christopher wants businesses to ‘bring back disabled toilets’ and says they should be ‘a protected space for disabled people’.

He added: ‘Removing these spaces ultimately creates a barrier to our existence and means we feel less safe when we leave our homes.

‘The government insists that people with disabilities get jobs, while the world around us is eroding our rights to human dignity.

‘As a disabled person I feel like a nuisance to the world and somehow less valued as a member of society.’

Many people rushed to his post in support of Christopher, with some saying the supermarket should be ’embarrassed’.

One person wrote: ‘I’m concerned that too many businesses/people are STILL using Covid as an excuse for…working from home/delays with responses/no public toilets/changing room facilities etc. Common sense should be used. But I still wonder. If it’s called common sense, why isn’t it so common?’

Another said: ‘Sainsbury’s should be ashamed of themselves by this. That said, it is also necessary to bring back public toilets and stop their closure.”

Someone else wrote: ‘I have an illness that requires me to go to the toilet, I need it there and then I don’t have time to argue with the staff, so I don’t go out anymore.’

A fourth said: ‘I’m so sorry this has happened to you, a medical condition can mean many things but even for people without a medical card, such as pregnant women, people and others need to comply if people ask to go to the toilet to go.

“If we can’t ensure that those who absolutely need it are treated correctly legally, how can anyone be treated legally? I am very concerned that this has happened to you, and I am very concerned about the rights of everyone.”

Christopher revealed that he has access to a radar key if public toilets are available, but there were none nearby that day.

Radar Keys provide access to more than 10,000 disabled toilets across the UK. Anyone with a permanent disability can buy the key for €5.

After contacting Sainsbury’s to tell them about the situation, the supermarket chain said it was ‘concerned’ but claimed its public toilets had closed ‘many months ago’.

Sainsbury’s sent Christopher an email saying: ‘Thank you for contacting the Sainsbury’s executive office. I have been asked to investigate this matter and respond to you personally.

‘I was very concerned when I heard of the difficulties you have experienced at the Cromwell Road store. On behalf of Sainsbury’s, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest regret for any inconvenience this incident has caused.

‘I spoke to the store manager who indicated months ago that the public toilets were closed.

‘Colleague toilets are located three flights of stairs up and it is our policy that customers are not allowed to use these due to health and safety concerns. Once again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and distress this has caused.”

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s told Mail Online: ‘We strive to be a truly inclusive retailer where people enjoy working and shopping. We have contacted Mr Porter-Blake about his experience and apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

‘On the background, our policy is that if there are no customer toilets available, we can guide customers from the work floor to use the toilets of our colleagues.

‘In this case, the store manager advised the customer that there were toilets in a neighboring hotel as he knew the matter was urgent and the toilets are not quickly accessible from the shop floor.’