The queues outside women’s toilets have long been considered a matter of equity, but now a UK health charity has declared them a public health issue too.

The Royal Society for Public Health has called on authorities to provide toilets for women at a ratio of 2:1 to men’s facilities, owing to additional time required for females to use public amenities.

“Because of time-consuming factors related to clothing, menstruation and anatomical differences, a fair ratio of toilet provision would be at least 2:1 in favour of women,” the charity says.

Declining public-toilet provision places a greater health burden on women, people with ill health, people with disabilities, the elderly, outdoor workers and the homeless, according to its report Taking the P***: The Decline of the Great British Public Toilet.