A vicar has urged railway bosses to upgrade the “dark, dismal and filthy” toilets at Newcastle Central Station after a visit left him “physically nauseated.”

The Reverend Mark Edwards MBE has called for major improvements to the men’s toilets on platform 12, originally constructed in the 1890s and reopened in 2021 following restoration. He described the facilities as “wholly inappropriate for public use” and has suggested they be closed until refurbishment is carried out.

In a letter to LNER managing director David Horne and Network Rail chief executive Sir Andrew Haines, Rev Edwards wrote:

“The toilets are dark, dismal, and filthy, with cracked, stained, and discoloured tiles that appear to have been there since the mid-20th Century. Toilet seats are worn, unsanitary, and wholly inappropriate for public use.”

The parish priest added that the bathrooms offered an “appalling” first impression of Newcastle for visitors to the Grade I-listed station.

An LNER spokesperson confirmed that:

“A historically sensitive refurbishment is planned for the listed toilets at Newcastle, which will improve the facility for customers for years to come. In the meantime, we continue to work closely with our cleaning partners to make sure the toilets are clean and available for use.”

Image: BBC