IT may not be everyone’s top reason for a day trip, but York now has another title to add to its list of attractions.
The city’s railway station has been crowned home to the best train toilets in the north, topping a new league table based on passenger reviews.
The ranking, compiled by agency Dark Horse, analysed reviews from 52 of the UK and Europe’s busiest railway stations.
Stations were ranked by the percentage of reviews mentioning toilets that were negative, using data from TripAdvisor.
York had the lowest proportion of complaints of any station in the north, with 28 per cent of toilet-related reviews rated as negative.
In contrast, Manchester Victoria fared the worst, with 64 per cent of reviews criticising its facilities, ranking it seventh-worst across all stations studied.
Preston followed with 43 per cent negative reviews, while Manchester Piccadilly was close behind at 42 per cent.
Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle Central were also among the poorest performers, with 41 per cent and 39 per cent negative feedback respectively.
Reviews included complaints about “overflowing bins,” “the disabled toilet being unavailable”, and descriptions of toilets as “a smelly disgrace,” or even “third world toilets.”
Leeds and Sheffield stations were not ranked due to having fewer than 20 relevant reviews.
Despite York’s relatively strong performance, the study suggests there is still room for improvement across the UK’s major rail stations.
Libby Mayfield, head of marketing at Dark Horse, said: "Millions of people will pass through the UK and Europe’s major train stations this summer, hoping to enjoy the sights and sounds of a leisurely rail journey, but unfortunately this ranking reveals that along with delays and cancellations, anyone needing the loo will have to deal with an extra dose of unpleasantness."