Finding a public toilet should be simple, but for Blessing Fasina it was anything but.

The 29-year-old, who moved from Nigeria to Bournemouth in Dorset in 2023 to study for his Masters degree, said he found it “challenging” to find facilities when he arrived and felt “anxious”.

Using his background in web design and mobile app development, he created a free smartphone app called Where to Wee, which launched in January to help tackle what he called “a serious problem in the UK”.

Research by The Royal Society for Public Health found there are 15,481 people for every public toilet in England. It also said there are 14 percent fewer public toilets across England than there were in 2016, based on more than 200 Freedom of Information requests.

Fasina said the app now has about 1,500 active users and he hopes it can help people with health conditions.

“People facing challenges include elderly people, pregnant women, people with irritable bowel syndrome, people with disabilities,” he said.

He said one woman with children told him she sometimes stayed at home because she was afraid she would not be able to find a toilet.

Fasina said he started the project after struggling to find nearby facilities himself. He recalled asking people in the town where the nearest toilets were, but said he was “surprised” that no-one seemed to know.

“The idea started from my own frustration” he said, adding that “getting the data and getting the app together wasn’t really easy”.

“I looked at public data online, different council data mashed up with latitude and longitude, open source data and put it together,” he said.

“One of the challenges was the accuracy and completeness of the data.

“I’ve had people say there are toilets listed on the app that are closed, they’re not open, the opening hours are different, they’re not clean, they’re not well looked after.”

He said he wants to partner with local councils to improve the app’s accuracy.

“But there is a lot of positive feedback so that’s what’s keeping me going with the project,” he added.

“It’s really surprising to me that a lot of people are searching, a project that I just started in my own room and it makes me know that this is a serious problem.”

In Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, there are 30 toilet blocks along 15 miles of seafront, and the council said each is cleaned at least three times a day.

A council spokesperson said: “There are occasions when unforeseen circumstances arise, including mechanical failures, misuse, or vandalism.

“We have a wide network of free, accessible toilets across the BCP area and remain committed to providing this essential service for both residents and visitors.”

The Royal Society for Public Health said public toilet provision in England is currently discretionary for local councils.

The Local Government Association said “funding pressures have caused councils to rethink provision” because “the maintenance of a public toilet could cost a council £25,000 a year”.

Fasina said he believes central government should give local authorities extra funding to make public toilets more accessible.

“Councils and public sectors need to work in collaboration together to know exactly what’s really happening,” he said.

“Look at the data, seek feedback, work with people like us, know what’s happening and draw a plan of what can be the solution to difficulties of getting accessible toilets.”

Read more from BBC News.