A VIDEO shaming the town council over the state of a grotty public toilet in an Epping car park has become a surprise hit on the internet.

When wheelchair user Penny Pepper, 40, tried to use the facilities in Bakers Lane Car Park last month, she was confronted with a scene of dilapidation – including a faeces-filled toilet, rusted sinks and peeling paint.

But instead of ignoring it she took matters into her own hands and got her revenge on the council by filming the experience, and posting the results on Youtube.

The two minute video, called ‘Toilet Trauma in Epping Town’ has now received hundreds of hits from appalled viewers. Miss Pepper said she was ‘embarrassed for the council’ by a sign above the door which reads ‘Invalid’.

She explained that the old-fashioned term for disabled people was derived from the word meaning useless: “There’s just no place for it anymore. Those signs are at least 50 years old – it really doesn’t give a good impression of Epping, which is a shame.” Ray Harris, head of the Chigwell and District Disabled Group said: “There are issues with some toilets but usually it’s about access.

“There are so many different types of wheelchair to fit different types of people and sometimes the facilities are extremely difficult to use.”

Miss Pepper said she hoped the town council would make the necessary changes. She added: “I feel cynical but resigned. I’ve been around for a while and seen it so many times before and it isn’t getting better.

“It’s not just people in wheelchairs that use these toilets. Epping has a lot of elderly people, they need bars to hold onto and a hygienic place to leave walking sticks.” “I cannot believe that Epping town council do not have the money to improve this. I feel embarrassed for them.” Epping town councillor Ben Murphy said: “I offer Ms. Pepper my personal apologies for allowing one of our services to drop below a satisfactory standard. “I will raise this matter at the town council's meeting on Tuesday under 'Councillors Questions' and endeavour to make some immediate improvements.”