A forecourt in High Barnet made the news this week after refusing to let a woman with a serious bowel disease use their toilet.

According to the Barnet Times, 31-year-old Suzie Ryan was on her way home from work on Monday December 12, when she realised that she urgently needed the loo and so pulled into the nearest petrol station. At the Londis store on the Wood Street forecourt she explained her situation but the member of staff refused to allow her to use the facilities, saying they were for staff only.

Unfortunately, the newspaper said, as she made her way back to her car her ‘bodily urges became too much’. Obviously she was left humiliated as well as angry. Once she got home, she rang the manager of the site who reiterated that the toilets were for staff only although he did say pregnant women and small children could use them.

Ms Ryan then called Londis’ central office and was told that all stores were independently owned but that they would take up the matter with the retailer concerned. Mrs Ryan told Barnet Times that the regional manager for Londis has been in touch and would investigate the incident. However, it might be too late for this site’s reputation as, at the time of writing, this story was the ‘Most Popular’ on the newspaper’s website.