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Town hall chiefs have agreed to pay compensation to a jogger who was locked in a freezing public lavatory for 17 hours.
An attendant failed to check if there was anyone inside the building before locking the door.
The jogger, pictured above in a CCTV image, was forced to wrap himself in a bin liner and spent the night of Christmas Eve underneath a hand dryer to keep warm.
A Southwark Council spokesman said the unnamed man had been running in Dulwich Park when he visited the loo.
He was then trapped until 9.30am on Christmas Day when the lavatories were unlocked.
The man did not have a mobile phone to call for help and missed opening presents with his family. Council chiefs have now apologised to him.
The spokesman said: “We have offered this man compensation. I cannot go into any detail because we are in negotiations and no figure has been agreed.”
It is understood the attendant was on a temporary contract and is no longer employed by the council.
Are you the mystery jogger? Contact the Standard newsdesk on 020 7938 7523
Reader views (35)
Poor guy, no, rephrase that, poor family, he must have been a stinker when he got home!!!!!
You don't need a cctv in a toilet, what do you think someones going to go to the park, decides to murder a little fella because he wouldn't let him look?????
The least someone could do in a park toilet is pee on the wall!!!!1
People are getting way too serious about things!!!!
- Sytske, chellaston, derby, UK, 20/02/2010 15:50
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All these comments on 'he isn't dressed like a jogger' are stupid. Would you go out in the winter dressed in shorts and a t-shirt? He was lucky to have trousers and a coat on, think about what it would be like without them!
- Jack, Cranbrook, United Kingdom, 17/02/2010 22:58
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Very cold and unfortunate. I can't imagine what it would be like to be locked in an Australian toilet block at 42degrees Celsius, let alone a UK loo in middle of Winter.
I would never leave home without my mobile phone.
I quite agree about the CCTV in the toilet. Isn't that a bit much?
- Adrian Prophet, Werribee, Australia, 07/02/2010 10:53
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Such clever people on here who all 'would've done this' and 'would've done that'. Ever thought that the bloke probably tried everything to get out.
Inward opening thick door - depending on thickness could be impossible to kick through and split. Throw sink through window - IT HAD METAL BARS ON IT AND WHO HAS THE STRENGTH TO PULL A SINK OFF THE WALL? Particularly whilst potentially suffering with hypothermia and low blood sugar.
'The guy is not wearing jogging gear, he hasn't come forward and announced himself to the media' - How would you know that the clothing is not running gear? Does your computer have software to clean the image up?
'So what was the CCTV operator doing during this 17 hour incident? sleeping or partying?' - OH GOOD LORD. Because toilet CCTV has permanent operators working on them!
'Money for old rope' eh. Grow up! It's clear nobody has put themselves in this chap's shoes. 17 hours is a long time in the freezing cold and quite rightly he is getting compensation.
And I doubt that there is anything sinister to this story as alluded to. Bloke goes out jogging; gets locked in toilet; nobody comes past for 17 hrs because it's Xmas; When somebody does come past (walking the dog etc) the alert Council/cops etc; bloke suffering with no doubt hyporthermia etc and quite rightly miffed; bloke can't comment to paper because of a) embarassment and b) because it is subject to legal wrangling. Good luck to him!
- P, London, 07/02/2010 06:39
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Shouldn't that be WC-TV?
- Martin Watson, Teddington, 07/02/2010 00:16
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He looks like me!
- Scotty, London, 06/02/2010 12:27
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The worse thing about this story is the cctv in a public toilet.
- Lindona, italy, 06/02/2010 12:21
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Doesn't exactly look dressed for jogging, does he? On Christmas Eve most people were struggling just to walk on the ice, this joker was out for a jog.
This is a scam and Southwark Council have fallen for it.
- Jay, South Wales, 06/02/2010 09:52
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He must have thought that someone was pulling his chain..
- Michael, Switzerland, 05/02/2010 17:42
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I am trying to picture the family all round the fire on Xmas morning opening their presents,did nobody wonder where Dad was,and why were'nt the Police involved after just a few hours let alone seventeen.
- Davey_Bouy, Chertsey, 05/02/2010 16:53
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Looks like a bog standard toilet, could be anywhere or was it in bognaregess. At least the door allowed fresh air to flow in otherwise it really could have been a big stingker. Looks a lot cleaner than most toilets in the UK. At least he had some time to think about life. Sometimes the best place to think is in the toilet. Hope there was enough toilet paper for him.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark, 05/02/2010 16:12
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His family stilled opened presents? Nice.
- Georgie, London, 05/02/2010 15:39
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Sarah Bradshaw,-You need to get out more!...in any case mens toilets do not smell..must be the ladies you are thinking of!!,-but seriously folks as a general rule of thumb,if you plan to go jogging please take your mobile phone..this need not have happened lol.
- Jacob, Cesspit Britain WC UK., 05/02/2010 15:26
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There's always more to these stories that we never hear about. The guy is not wearing jogging gear, he hasn't come forward and announced himself to the media...
- Tony B, London UK, 05/02/2010 15:25
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What a stinker!
He must have felt so down in the dumps.
- Ross, London, UK, 05/02/2010 15:14
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So what was the CCTV operator doing during this 17 hour incident? sleeping or partying?
- Mike, Cyprus, 05/02/2010 14:59
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This is an absolutely horrible story and I for one hope the poor bloke does get good compensation for being put through that. Apart from the boredom, cold, uncomfortable conditions, possibly bad smells and nothing to eat, he must have been so worried just when he was going to get out. To have that happen at Christmas is even worse and I don't know how anyone could find anything remotely amusing in it.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 05/02/2010 14:57
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How long have they had cctv in toilets? could be a bit intrusive dont you think?
- Brian, Wiltshire, 05/02/2010 14:40
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You don't get that problem with the automatic loos. I was sitting on the throne in one and the door opened automatically after about 10 minutes or so. There I was, exposed for all the public in the car park to see. Luckily I had some change to get the door closed again. I'm surprised he has'nt demanded compensation and counselling. Perhaps I am entitled to that too for the trauma I suffered!!
- Paddy, London, 05/02/2010 14:30
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"Oh dear, what can the matter be............."?
- Nowan, London, 05/02/2010 14:27
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"I'm afraid your father's been missing for 17 hours.."
"...Can we open our presents?"
- Jt, London, 05/02/2010 14:23
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His employer told him he could take his holiday at his own convenience......"boom boom".
- Jacob, Toilet Britain, 05/02/2010 14:14
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I bet when they opened the doors he looked rather flushed.
- George, London, 05/02/2010 13:26
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Boy I bet he was peeed off!
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 05/02/2010 12:56
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He missed opening pressies with family, thats got to be worth £20,000.00 minimum, get Max Clifford on the case. Why did his family not miss him and raise alarms, because they were too busy unwrapping pressies of course. No doubt the caretaker will be promoted under the current scheme of the bigger the mess the greater the reward
- Steve, London, 05/02/2010 12:22
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The usual ill thought out comments on here I see. What a remarkably resourceful lot you all are. In actual fact, the very heavy-looking door clearly opens inwards and there are bars on the windows. As for this unfortunate chap's family not looking for him, surely we have to assume that they did? However, who would start such a search by looking in a public lavatory if the chap had merely gone out for a jog? Maybe no-one knew he had gone out for a jog. As usual, the glaring gaps in the story are filled in by assumption.
- Ruth, Hampton, 05/02/2010 12:15
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It looks to me like people who make silly comments should have a try at it, its easy to say i would have done this and i would have done that, the poor chap should have lots of compensation
- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh UK, 05/02/2010 11:54
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Lie down with back to the floor and knees facing door. Raise legs and give a few hefty kicks to the door. That should have broken the door down.
- Ian Price, London England, 05/02/2010 11:51
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It was certainly the most memorable christmas he's ever likely to have,,,anyway since when have joggers dressed in combat fatigues?
- Jacob, The diseased Garden of England., 05/02/2010 11:50
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Surely if these public toilets were locked at a certain time each evening the 'caretaker' would check to see if there was anyone still inside before locking ? Christmas day afternoon also seems like a strange time to unlock the facility ? Money, old and rope spring to mind......
- Andy Woodhead, London, ENGLAND, 05/02/2010 11:28
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Steve, at first sight your idea would appear to be a good one. Unfortunately a closer inspection of the photograph reveals bars on the outside of both the windows. I am afraid that with no glass in the windows our mystery jogger would have had an even more miserable night.
- Michael, Glasgow, 05/02/2010 11:05
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It looks like it has bars on it
- Jules, London, 05/02/2010 11:01
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Why is there cctv in a toilet?
- Mark, St Albans, 05/02/2010 10:51
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Oh dear I am afraid I couldn't help laughing. Something to talk about for him and really "missing unwrapping presents with his family" is hardly the end of the world. And why did not his family start a search for him?
- Santa, London UK, 05/02/2010 10:51
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Pull sink off wall, throw sink through window. Climb through window.
- Steve, London, UK, 05/02/2010 10:35
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