Woman with IBS 'disgusted' after being refused toilet access at The Range in Chesterfield

The woman was refused access to the toilet at The Range Store in Chesterfield despite showing proof she suffers from Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

The woman, who wished to remain anoynmous, was visiting The Range’s Chesterfield store on Lordsmill Street on Monday, January 10, when she urgently felt the need to use the toilet.

She suffers from Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic condition that affects the digestive system and one for which symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and a sudden change in bowel movements.

The woman carries a ‘Just Can’t Wait’ card, which is made by the charity Bladder and Bowel Foundation (B&BF) and is designed to give users the ‘benefit of discreet and clear communication for those moments where you just can’t wait to use the toilet’.

Knowing she needed to relieve herself quickly, the woman presented the card to staff and asked if she could gain access to the store’s disabled public toilet but was allegedly refused.

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She said: “They just told me ‘it’s health and hygiene we can’t let you use them’.

"I was desperate. I had to go over to Home Bargains and they haven’t got any public toilets but as long as you’ve got a card to show they’ll take you to their staff toilets.

"If I didn’t get over there then I would have ended up having to go and buy another pair of underwear because my IBS is that bad. It’s not nice.

"If I don’t go I’m going to have an accident. I’ve had to go in bushes before because there’s been no public toilets open.”

Other organisations, such as Bladder & Bowel UK, produce similar ‘Just Can’t Wait’ cards.

Their website states: “Whilst the card is not guaranteed to give you access to toilets, the cards are widely accepted and acknowledged.”

The woman claims it is not the first time she has been denied access to the toilets at the Lordsmill Street store and said she has been left ‘digusted’ by the ordeal.

"I feel sorry for other people that are in the same situation as me. It could have been a different story where I would have had to quickly nip round the side of the store just relieve myself,” she added.

The Range has declined to comment.

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