WE often receive a few strange emails from PR agencies claiming this and that about Worcester but one in particular caught our attention this week.

It claimed that Croft Road public toilets were ranked the 10th dirtiest in the UK, according to a study by bathroom manufacturers AQVA. 

Although this might be a brash title for a bog-standard set of public toilets, it's fair to say that some public toilets are not for the faint-hearted.

Surely, this riverside loo cannot be one of the worst when you consider just how many public toilets are in the UK?

We had to pay a visit.

The worst public toilets often have an eye-watering stench, broken washbasin, 20p entrance fee and anxious parents towering over their free-spirited toddler while yelling "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING". 

Taking a walk along the riverside, it would be fair to say that the toilets on Croft Road are in a very pretty location. 

The adjoined cafe welcomed diners with its fresh coffee and cakes which was all very lovely.

However, the toilets were not as delightful on first sight with iron bars and an even more unwelcoming odour.

I was not charged an entrance fee but still held my nose as I entered the toilets with extreme caution.  

Worcester News: Outside the toilets in croft road Outside the toilets in croft road

But to my surprise, I was met with a bog-standard looking set of toilets. 

Although the unimaginative blue doors mixed with an uninspiring grey floor made me feel like I was on the set of a Netflix prison show.    

READ MORE: Toilet reviewer reveals the best (and worst) female loos in Worcester

That said, I was surprised to see four and a half functioning sets of washbasins and toilets. 

These are not the dirtiest toilets I've seen, despite some noticeable gross spots seeping through the tiles and limescale making an appearance around the edges of the sinks and toilet bowls. 

Worcester News: An insight into the dirtiest toilets An insight into the dirtiest toilets

A spokesperson from Worcester City Council also felt the unwelcome title was unfair. 

He said: “Just four complaints were received across the whole of 2021 about cleanliness at Croft Road public toilets, so it would not be right to suggest that this toilet is the tenth dirtiest in the country.

"While we would like to be in a position where no such complaints were made, receiving just seven across the year for all nine public toilets managed by the city council – including the four about Croft Road – suggests that we are broadly getting things right.

"The average is less than one complaint per toilet."

Making my way back into the daylight and welcoming fresh air, I felt Croft Road was undeserving of such a horrible title.

Though not the most luxurious toilets in the world, they certainly were not that bad.

Probably not even the worst in Worcester but definitely not the tenth worst in the UK.