Pub loos in Devizes are a story of success (From This Is Wiltshire)

Pub loos in Devizes are a story of success

7:00am Saturday 21st November 2009

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The Gazette has helped a Devizes pub scoop an award for its toilets.

The men’s loos at Wetherspoon’s Silk Mercer pub in St John’s Street have been given the highest rating by an independent inspector.

One of the quirky things that may have caught his eye were the cuttings from the Gazette pinned on the wall above the urinals. The pub was awarded the maximum five stars in the 2009 Loo of the Year Awards following an unannounced visit by the inspector.

The pub opened just over a year ago in the former Beales of Bath fashion shop and manager Jamie Pearce said Wetherspoons prided itself on providing the best facilities. Mr Pearce said: “Toilets have always been a very big focus for Wetherspoons.

“Staff at the pub work hard to ensure that the toilets are in first class condition at all times and it is great that this has been recognised by the inspectors. Our toilets are checked at regular intervals, a minimum of every hour.”

In the gents’ toilets, pages from the Gazette are put in three cabinets above the urinals every week and Mr Pearce said reading local news while spending a penny had proved popular with customers.

He said: “I thought it would be good to have a local newspaper on display. We swop the pages every day and it keeps people up to date with local news. We have had requests to display particular articles including the obituary page as people are interested in reading about people who have died.

“A lady whose husband told her about the paper being in the gents’ loos has asked if we can display it in the ladies’ toilets so I am trying to source a cabinet for this.”

Mike Bone, 2009 Loo of the Year Awards director, said: “The toilets at the Silk Mercer are superb and the pub richly deserves its five star rating.”

The pub is now through to the national final of the 2009 Loo of the Year Awards on December 4 where it will be competing against more than 100 pubs and wine bars.

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