Wetherspoons installs CCTV in toilets - will the chain be keeping an eye on those paying a visit at its Preston pubs?

The chain has already begun rolling out CCTV in both its male and female toilets, with cameras now monitoring customers using the loos at branches in Newcastle, Reading and Bristol.

It says the cameras don’t cover the cubicles or urinals – just the communal sink areas – and adds that the CCTV is there to keep customers and staff safe.

Some people are concerned that the cameras are an invasion of customers’ privacy, whilst others welcome the move and say it will make them feel safer on nights out.

We asked whether the chain has plans to add cameras to its two Preston pubs – The Twelve Tellers in Church Street and The Grey Friar in Friargate.

It said the CCTV is being installed in all of its new pubs as well as those undergoing ‘substantial refurbishment’. But it did not reveal whether the Preston pubs are in line for a makeover anytime soon.

A spokesman for Wetherspoons said: “We do not have a specific programme for installation but add CCTV to the toilets of all new pubs and where we are carrying out a substantial refurbishment.

“The CCTV will only cover the communal sink areas of both the male and female toilets. The cameras do not cover the urinals or cubicles and their installation is to promote customer and staff safety.

"The additional coverage will augment the existing CCTV system in the rest of the pub which is in place for the same reason.

"Signage alerting customers to the cameras is put in place.”

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