Criticism aimed at Carlisle United over their poor hygiene standards in toilets

Criticism has been aimed at Carlisle United recently over their poor hygiene standards in the toilets of their stand at Brunton Park.

BBC Cumbria reporter James Phillips has been left dismayed, and can be heard saying: “Some just a little thing this, but I think it’s telling of where we are at the moment.

“There are two toilets that serve the stand that we’re in. Two men’s toilets, not one had soap in.

“So what are we? A fortnight since the last time there was a home game, and nobody’s come along and filled the soap dispensers in the toilets.

“You might think that’s a little bit of a silly thing, but isn’t that about sort of general club standards?

“That every man who’s gone to the toilet in our stand for a one or two, let’s be honest about this, hasn’t washed their hands because there’s no soap in the toilets.

“Isn’t that staggering at a club doing all the things that Carlisle United are? And doesn’t that just speak volumes of the overall pride and why we’re in this position?”

“I was almost embarrassed to do it on Saturday, but the more I thought about it, the more important it is. And somebody else responded to us, didn’t they? And I think emailed the station to say that the the one of the toilets there are only two in our stand, and one of them was blocked. Gents toilets.

“There are two gents toilets, and both of them had no soap in. And I told what I thought was the bar manager in one of the bars and the told the steward, but nothing changed. They’re not responsible for it. They probably just radioed and said, can somebody sort this out? But nothing, no one did.

“But how, when you’ve got consecutive home games, can there be, a, a blocked toilet, and it was blocked again on Saturday. I think they’d obviously done some work, but clearly not good enough, and no soap. So every man who had a pee or anything else, didn’t wash their hands on Saturday. It’s absolutely disgusting.

“I didn’t do it on the air. I didn’t do it on the air. I told two people at the club this needs sorting out. No one can wash their hands. And I didn’t but I did it on the end at the end because I went down. I had to use the toilet again at full time, and it’s and it hadn’t nothing had happened. And I then found out that they were both, there wasn’t soap in either.

It was added in the same clip: “It’s a disgrace. It happens in the first place. It should never happen again. A chief executive and everyone else operationally down that chain should be one, thanking you for pointing it out. Two, embarrassed that you had to point it out and that that’s what, you know, hundreds, thousands of people had to experience. And three, we should never be complaining about this ever again.”

“We had to publicly embarrass them about the bird. Muck all over the radio. Because we asked the presser. And it was the same CEO.”

They’ve absolutely lost the plot pic.twitter.com/0f7RSQRuBu

— Give ‘Em Beans (@GiveEmBeansBAFC) March 18, 2025

Soap gate part 2
James Phillips is in need of a thank you from the club 🤔#cufc https://t.co/DALKPoUULm pic.twitter.com/aae2rTN7gf

— 🦊James CUFC (@james_cufc2000) March 18, 2025

Back in August 2024, Carlisle United pledged to address previous toilet facility ‘issues’.

In a statement posted onto their website, chief executive Nigel Clibbens said at the time: “The toilets and drainage and entire water and plumbing system on the West Stand (especially upper floor) is a prime example.

“Toilet issues are numerous and frequent. The repair parts are unavailable and we can’t fix them fast enough to keep up with new faults. The solution is total replacement.

“The boilers fail all the time leading to no hot water and some boilers are housed in cubicles which is unsafe so the cubicles have to be locked out of use.

“The water pressure entering the site on the west side isn’t sufficient enough to work the number of toilets we have and cope with demand at pressure points like half-time.

“Pressure booster tanks are required everywhere. Finally the drainage outside is failing.

“We have faced these issues on the ground floor in the new dressing room area and it was costly and time consuming to fix one small area. The top floor will be similar but many times over.

“We are trying our best, but I fully understand in the interim from a fans point of view this explanation doesn’t make things any better.”

Here’s is video footage of the toilets in the Warwick Road end being redeveloped…

Clibbens said the League Two club “apologise” to fans who endure these problems and added: “I fully understand improvements in one part of the stadium [like the Warwick Road End] are meaningless to fans elsewhere [such as those who use the west stand] and elements like West Stand toilets are still from the 1970s and don’t work properly.”

The director said owner and chairman Tom Piatak was well aware of the issues, having been asked about them at a recent supporters’ trust members’ meeting, with a plan to “demolish each toilet room on the first floor, rebuild and replumb along the west stand second floor, where it is cost effective.”

He added: “We will be starting at Foxy’s, then D, C, B and A Stand.

“Plans are being drawn up. This will take some time and a lot of money. For the other toilets where a full rebuild is not cost effective, we will replace individual toilets.”

Three weeks ago, Carlisle owner Tom Piatak also talked about the change of manager, threat of relegation, and the transfer-window…

Carlisle owner Tom Piatak talks change of manager, threat of relegation, and the transfer window

Twitter users reacted with criticism aimed at Carlisle United over their poor hygiene standards in the toilets…

@StuartAkister: “For a one or two let’s be honest about this” has really tickled me, proper analysis

@LewisKnt9: I actually agree with them. If they can’t do the basics right then how do they expect to the hard things right. Same as Barrow in areas to be honest

@blue_army_tv: Honestly made the loss worth it tbh lol. What’s he on about? 😂😭 #cufc

@danielmorris991: I get why people are bemused by this from James, but, what he’s saying is not just about the soap in the toilets, it’s that standards completely drop in this football club behind the scenes when the Piatak family aren’t here. The sooner they open their eyes to this, the better.

@PeteMcCormick6: Evidencing that the Piatiks have gone from all these promises to where we are now where things have slid so much that no attention to detail is paid to the small things, therefore how can you expect them to get the bigger stuff right.The club is a plaything&they’ve lost interest

@DeckchairBlues: Standards are about the little things being done right, you can see throughout the club something isn’t right and this is just a little example.

@RuddyNuisance: Simmo literally used to replenish the handwash dispensers prior to every home game before a cruel twist of fate meant he somehow lost his job, no wonder standards have slipped!

@ashlazy1991:
I actually agree with him.
It’s basic standards and discipline.
Not shown on the pitch neither #CUFC

@whyellokayleigh: Why are people losing their heads over this? Hygiene is a pretty basic standard to meet, or in this case not meet, and it just shows how badly run things are at the moment, from top to bottom.

@james_cufc2000: I heard this and laughed on Saturday but he’s right standards are standards and it’s just the little things you notice. Don’t really understand why Phillips is getting grief #cufc