CAMERAS in the toilets.
Yuck.
A pubic inconvenience in the most private place of all.
Especially in the cubicles.
But that’s what curious customer Cristian Chesha thought he saw in the ceiling of Simple Bar on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter.
So he investigated.
And video-ed what he saw.
And then - this being 2012 - posted it on Youtube.
We installed a dummy camera in the toilets several years ago – we’ve been opened 11 years – because we had an issue with vandalism
He told Confidential about his reasons for filming it.
“I'm just naturally inquisitive. I looked up and saw what looked like two vents above the cubicle which struck me as odd. I could see something glinting behind the mesh on one, so I stood up to see what it was. I could see it looked like a lens, so I pushed the mesh back and exposed it properly. I was really surprised, so I headed out of the bathroom to wait for it to be empty (there was another guy in there at the time) before returning to take the video.”
He then beat a hasty retreat from Simple without speaking to the management and exposed them on the world wide web.
Now it’s a sensation, a Twitter trending talk of the town.
Confidential talked to Simple Bar management.
A spokesperson said, “We installed a dummy camera in the toilets several years ago – we’ve been opened 11 years – because we had an issue with vandalism in which there was repeated tagging and graffiti in the cubicles. It was meant to act as a deterrent.
“We then did say in signage throughout the bar that there was CCTV in operation. The toilet camera wasn’t connected to anything there.”
The spokesperson couldn’t remember if the signage had expressly stated whether the CCTV was in the toilets.
We asked: "But why put up a camera to act as a deterrent when people couldn’t see it?”
The spokesperson said, “It was just part of the actions we took as part of a scheme to make it act as a deterrent. It was a long time ago.”
The present manager of the bar didn't seem aware of the dummy camera's existence.
Confidential had a brief delve into the legality of cameras placed in toilets.
It appears venues are allowed to put cameras in the smallest room but they have to follow strict procedures under the Data Protection Act. They must place notices that inform people using the toilets they are being filmed and they must justify their use.
Finally cameras may only be used in order to deal with serious concerns such as fights, vandalism or other illegal activities and they should not be able to record any sound.
Anyway here’s the Youtube video.
