Changing Places Toilet at Toddington Services
4
4
Date of visit: August 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
The accessible toilets were in a separate area to the main toilets which meant the area was very quiet and didn’t have much footfall. There were two standard accessible toilets as well as the Changing Places Toilet on the northbound side of Toddington Services. The corridor was a bit narrow and bizarrely there was a sign placed across the entrance. I was able to pass by it in my wheelchair, but someone with a larger chair might have struggled. It would also probably need the help of another person to move it if needed. The Changing Places Toilet itself was clean, tidy and spacious. There were displays with clear information about the equipment and their weight limits. The privacy screen seemed to be broken though. It was being propped up and when I had a look at it I was concerned it was going to collapse on top of me so I left it where it was! All of the accessible toilets were opened with a RADAR key and the doors all opened outwards. Overall, it wasn’t bad for a service station toilet. I’ve experienced lots that weren’t anywhere near as clean or fresh smelling! It was nice that it was a much quieter area too.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The Changing Places Toilet was down a corridor that was straight ahead from the main entrance. The entrance itself was level with the car park and had double, sliding doors that opened automatically as you approached. The flooring inside was then stone tiling which meant it was really smooth and easy to push my wheelchair across. The signage for the toilets was really clear and included the Changing Places Toilet symbol to make it clear where it was. There were accessible parking spaces just outside the entrance as well as two accessible EV charging bays.
Accessible facilities: Step-free entrance, Lift to some areas, Accessible retail space, Wheelchair-accessible food and beverage outlet, Step-free route with firm surface from car park to entrance
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by personal vehicle
These services are located on the M1 between junctions 11A and 12. I visited the northbound services but there is a walkway that connects the northbound and southbound facilities via a platform lift. You would only be able to get to these services by a vehicle such as car, WAV, van, motorbike, or coach.
Accessible facilities: Dedicated on-site parking, Electric Vehicle Charging
Accessible Toilets
Good
There were two smaller accessible toilets as well as the Changing Places Toilet. All three of them were accessed with a RADAR key and opened outwards. They also had horizontal grab rails on both the inside and outside of the toilet to make opening and closing the doors easier. Inside the Changing Places Toilet it was very spacious and well-equipped. There was a height-adjustable bench and a ceiling hoist which both had a weight limit of 200kg. There was also a height-adjustable sink and a Closomat toilet. The Closomat toilet had a weight limit of 190kg and had a total of four grab rails around it. Two could be raised and lowered as required and both of these had toilet paper on their holders. There were also two fixed, vertical grab rails on either side of the adjustable ones. There was space for both a left and right-side transfer although there were a couple of things on each side that might have got in the way slightly. The sink was a large sink with a lever on the right-hand side to adjust the height. There was a single tap which twisted to control the temperature and raised to control the flow of the water. It had a long handle with a wider end to make it easy to grip. There were two vertical grab rails on either side of the sink. To the left of the sink was a wall-mounted soap dispenser and an automatic hand dryer. Additionally, this toilet had three chairs, two sharps disposal bins, a paper dispenser to put on the bench, a large mirror and a privacy screen. However, the privacy screen appeared to be broken. It had been propped up against the wall and looked like it wouldn’t have been able to stand up on its own. There was one emergency cord which hung freely to the floor.
Facilities: Closomat toilet, Accessible toilet, Changing Places toilet
