A SOCIAL media influencer who uses a stoma has hit out at a restaurant’s near-inaccessible disabled bathroom after finding it being used as a “storage cupboard”.
Holly April, known online as Stoma Babe, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2020 and now uses a stoma, and now uses her platform to promote body positivity and awareness around hidden disabilities.
Visiting Koyn Asian restaurant in Mayfair, Central London on Tuesday, Holly was left appalled after heading to the loo – only to find it basically unusable and instead piled high with boxes and equipment.
Holly also claimed that staff at the eatery attempted to explain the room away as a “storage cupboard”, and has since lablled them as having a “disgusting attitude”.
Filming her reaction to the horrific facilities, Holly shared a brief tour of the tiny bathroom with her followers.
Her footage shows the cluttered bathroom in all its glory with a mix of carboard boxes, packaging and shelving crammed into the room alongside cleaning equipment.
A very narrow passage is visible between two piles of boxes, leading to the lone toilet which, upon further inspection, appears to barely have enough room to sit down amid the chaos.
Holly explains: “So this is Koyn in London and I just opened the disabled door to the toilet and actually they’ve outdone Rocker on this one, they’ve got so many boxes.”
She is then interrupted by a member of staff who she confronts, asking them angrily: “Is this your disabled toilet?”
The staff member can be heard protesting, claiming that it is not the disabled facilities, before the video ends abruptly.
Holly posted the clip to social media yesterday demanding that something be done about the dire state of accessible loos in the country.
She wrote: “The worst one yet. This is the disabled toilet in Koyn London last night.
“When I asked them about it, they said, ‘It’s not the disabled toilet; it’s a storage cupboard’.
“I then asked them to show me where the disabled toilet was. They responded, ‘Uhhh, well, we can clear it out’. Disgusting attitude.
“It is high time that councils go around and inspect restaurant-disabled toilets and give on-the-spot fines for misuse.”
Her post has since received over 2,100 likes and more than 85 comments from social media users.
One user said: “I have spina bifida you can report them and they may get a hefty fine.”
Another wrote: “Once got shouted at in a local Chinese restaurant for not ringing in advance because the toilet was full of cleaning equipment.”
A third replied: “I would report it to the local council as it breaches health and safety regulations.”
Another commented: “That’s disgusting. If they flout these laws so brazenly, I certainly wouldn’t like to guess about their food hygiene standards.”
A fifth added: “Deary me did it actually have a sign on the door? Have you reported it today?”
