Shock to the cistern

An explosion blew the roof off a public toilet in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent last week.

A fault in high-voltage cables beneath the Automated Public Convenience forced water to surge back into the so-called ‘superloo’ – ripping off its roof and damaging the pavement.

Luckily, the incident occurred at 4.45am when the toilet was unoccupied.

Aquila was investigating the fault and cable siting but reassured householders that their bathrooms should be safe – as homes were unlikely to be sited over high-voltage cables.