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The superloo where Polish migrants are fighting to spend the night for 20p
Last updated at 00:22am on 04.05.07Polish immigrants are coming to blows for the privilege of sleeping in public lavatories at a cost of just 20p per night.
Cleaning staff and businesses near a new block of six conveniences have complained of fights among the labourers.
Residents have told how workers turn up each evening at the £246,000 octagonal building in Hackney, East London, carrying sleeping bags and building tools, to snatch a few hours' sleep before heading off to work again next morning.
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Home from home: Polish builders were seen using the £250,000 public lavatory like a B&B
Others lock themselves in for several hours during the day to catch up on sleep.
Cleaners, who have a master key to unlock the cubicles, have being confronted with occupants enjoying a morning lie-in and refusing to leave.
A 'guest' turns away a cleaner
At 6ft 8in by 4ft 10in, there is just enough room to stretch out on the tiled floor for the night.
The accommodation boasts a separate front door, central heating, a lavatory, basin, soap dispenser, mirror, peg, hand dryer and waste bin.
Those who fail to get into the disabled loos must must make do with a cramped standard cubicle, measuring 2ft 6in by 3ft 10ins.
With hundreds of thousands of eastern European migrants flocking to Britain in search of work, the unofficial use of public toilets as cheap dormitories is a stark illustration of the strain on local facilities and services.
Martin Edwards, manager of the Keycut Services shop opposite the toilets, said: "People are turning up with rucksacks and sleeping bags and they get nice accommodation fully maintained and with a bathroom for just 20p a night.
"They are all young guys. From about 10.30pm you can see people fighting over the best cubicles.
"You can see cardboard on the floor in the morning where they have been making their bed.
"Every morning the cleaners have to try and drag them out and this has been going on since the toilets were built three months ago.
"Some of them are clearly Polish builders who are using this as a base because you can see their tool bags with them."
Mr Edwards added: "I can see why they do it because it must be the cheapest accommodation in Hackney.
"Perhaps I should sell my own house and move in."
Anh Luong, of the nearby Lisa Star Nails shop, said: "Sometimes people who want to use the loos are so intimidated that they ask to use the one in my shop instead.
"This building is too big, it is like a house. You see queuing and fighting and it will probably get worse."
Paul Duffy, another resident, said some of the immigrants were men who had struggled to find work since arriving in Britain, and spoke little or no English.
He added: "They sometimes go to one of the halfway houses but if they can't get a bed they sleep in the toilets."
Hackney Council is not amused and is seeking what it calls a "technical solution" in the hope that redesigned locks will stop the WCs from being used as a low- cost dosshouse.
Official figures show more than 1,500 eastern Europeans have registered for work in Hackney since the EU expansion in 2004. This is likely to be a huge underestimate of the influx.
A Hackney Council spokesman said: "We do see this as a problem.
"They are stopping legitimate users from getting into the toilets and the cleaners can't do their job. We have around 2,000 bed spaces for homeless people in the borough, which should be adequate."
Reader views (10)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I have been living in London for about six years now, never got even single benefit from English government and also I have been working and paying taxes for all this time. I have never said one word against an English person as I feel as I was one of you. I understand there is a problem with some people who use public toilets as a place to sleep. The question is how you have found out they are Polish? Only because they carry some rucksacks and builder’s tools? How come it makes them Polish? I think that there are better ways to get ride of this problem than writing it in the newspaper! But if you hate Polish you have done correct thing. Obviously whatever you find wrong for example: bagging people on the street, speeding drivers, drug dealers selling some staff or even people using toilet for sleeping etc. you can say it has been done by Polish.
By the way if they had been really the Polish builders they wouldn’t have slept in toilets as they earn enough money to afford much more than paying for accommodation! That’s for sure as I know few of them and know how much they earn.
- Borazon, London
Now I clearly understand your very clever politics of not publishing any comments you don't approve of! I have tried to post my opinion twice to no avail! I haven't seen it here and I haven't received any response from you in my mailbox.
Thank you for being honest!
- Borazon, London
How can they work and pay tax without a fixed abode?
Well done Labour another well thought out strategy.
Vote right, vote right!
- Frank, Home Counties
Install sprinkler system to activate after 10.30pm if movement is detected. Play loud piped music, possibly by Wet,Wet,Wet.
- Mike, london
It's no wonder they don't want to pay the extortionate rent rates - I suspect some of them are going to make some money here before buying cheaper property in Poland.
How are these people getting away with using it as a B+B though. Are they left open at night - I thought most conveniences were locked up...
- Anon, London, UK
Should put a sign outside - "Wellcome to UK 2007"
- Grim Reaper, London
These immigrants are infringing the human rights of our own home-grown vagrants, bag ladies and lunatics taking their places in toilet cubicles, bank foyers and grit bins.
- Squiz, Islington
Admittedly, they do look very nice! Better than most new houses being built at the moment. Who are the architects - obviously wasting their time when they could be designing something bigger and better!
- Gary Parker, Amersham
Should have installed "super-loos" - the ones that give you 10 minutes before opening the door and then cleaning itself with a hose-down of disinfectant.
- Graham, Reading, England
"The council has informed the police."
Who presumably will do nothing in case it infringes the human rights of anyone who may be living there.
- Trevor Roll, London
