Southend has the fourth best public toilets in the UK, according to a company specialising in bathrooms.

Bathing Solutions has put together an index of the best places in the UK with the best public toilets based on how accessible they are.

Southend was ranked fourth, with 53.7 per cent of all facilities deemed accessible for people with disabilities or mobility issues.

The town has 54 public loos, according to Bathing Solutions which ranked Belfast, Coventry and Edinburgh above Southend.

Places such as London and Cambridge were ranked outside the top 10, with the latter having only six accessible public toilets out of 39.

Raymond Martin, managing director at the British Toilet Association, says the research by Bathing Solutions highlights a wider issue with public conveniences which go far beyond how accessible and inclusive they are.

The public toilet provision has been steadily declining across the country in recent years, with the BBC reporting in 2018 that UK councils stopped maintaining around 13 per cent of public toilets over the last 8 years.

Mr Martin says this is mainly due to austerity measures and budget cuts.

And he says ensuring there are enough up-to-spec public toilets – including accessible ones – is as much a public health issue than it is economic.

Mr Martin said: “Installing more accessible public toilets contribute to make our society more inclusive and, ultimately, contribute to the economy as people with mobility issues represent a large share of the UK population.”

The Great British Public toilet map shows there are currently nine public loos in central Southend alone.