A tight squeeze

Speaking as someone who has seen the inside of every toilet in Europe - in fact, practically everywhere I have ever been - I have noticed over the years that the cubicles seem to be getting smaller and smaller. The sheer logistics involved in actually closing the door once inside could be the subject of a scientific study involving how many combinations there are for different sizes and shapes of body, toilet pan and floor space to be accommodated when the arc required to close the door exceeds the available space.

These cubicles, which could comfortably fit inside a Portaloo, must surely have been designed by a man who has only ever rushed to use a urinal and left the building without requiring the privacy of a door when attending to the call of nature.

In severe cases, the gap between the closing door and the toilet pan can be reduced to as little as 3 inches, which is fine if you are tall and thin enough to straddle the pan while doing so, but I fear the majority of the female population don't meet these criteria. In fact, there must be times when size matters so much that the door cannot be closed. It's a great incentive for dieting - but then again, maybe that's where the underutilised wheelchair-accessible toilets come into their own. I personally find these excellent for using when you are accompanied by a full shopping trolley and don't want to risk losing it while otherwise occupied.

The most spacious public toilet I have ever been into was in a town in Spain. Once inside, I noticed that there was a lift door opening into the room, which I can tell you was a little disconcerting! A further survey of the room revealed that this was where all the cleaning materials were stored. Perhaps the addition of the actual toilet was an afterthought.