Hanwell businesses will be taking part in a trial scheme to provide more public toilets in the town.

Four cafes and pubs have joined Ealing Council scheme to allow members of the public to use the businesses’ loos without spending any money.

Those taking part in the pilot are:

• Rendezvous Café, 109 Uxbridge Road
• Lavins Bar, 97 Uxbridge Road
• Caffe Espresso, 101 Uxbridge Road
• The Viaduct Pub, 221 Uxbridge Road

The initiative will be piloted in Hanwell for two years and if it a success it could be rolled out to other parts of the borough.

Businesses taking part display a sticker in their window and receive £600 a year to help cover cleaning and maintenance costs.

Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, Councillor David Millican, said: "We’ve all been caught short from time to time so it is really good that we are making more clean, safe and accessible toilets available to the public without them having to make a purchase."

"Initially this is a fairly small scale pilot, but if it works well I hope more businesses will get involved."

Entry is at the manager’s discretion and the businesses are able to turn people away in exceptional circumstances.