Plymouth and Torpoint people don't seem too concerned about the toilet facility (note singular) on the new Torpoint Ferry. Perhaps, because they live close by, they don't need to use it. I would therefore like to raise a complaint on behalf of those people who have to travel some distance to get to the ferry (even if I do only live in Liskeard). I travelled on the new ferry for the first time over the Easter break and expected facilities to match the updated image. When I slid back the door in the corridor expecting to find a smart new toilet block it was a great shock for both of us when it revealed a partly-clothed gentleman scrambling to his feet in panic. Needless to say, I closed the door as quickly as I could and walked away. As it turned out, I was lucky, because the gentleman accepted the situation without complaint. If this had been a lady or a child, I would probably have been arrested as soon as the ferry docked on the Plymouth side. When I finally got into the toilet I found the door very difficult to close and the lock only worked after a good deal of twisting and turning, I doubt whether a child or woman would be able to secure the door at all. Furthermore, the single tiny, stainless steel toilet bowl was stained with urine, not too worrying for a man, perhaps, who would only use it like a urinal, but very unpleasant for a woman or a child to sit on. The Torpoint Ferry manager apparently thinks that this is a perfectly satisfactory situation, and one 'unisex' toilet will be adequate for the 200 passengers - men, women, children and babies - who will be on the ferry each way during the summer. This is regardless of the fact that many people will have been in their cars for hours and will be desperate for the loo; these visitors will have no knowledge of the facilities available at the quayside. Personally, I think this is an unforgivable oversight on behalf of the planners, and that separate and adequate toilet facilities for both sexes should be introduced as soon as possible. I would welcome the views of other ferry users.

DAVID DANSON Liskeard