Disabled people at risk due to tampered emergency red cords
A campaign to raise awareness of the risks has been started
A disability group in Salisbury says people are being put in danger because emergency red cords in accessible toilets are being tampered with.
Disability Interest Group of Salisbury (DIGS) is starting an awareness campaign, backed by the City Council and supported by Signs In Motion, to educate people about the risks caused by these cords being damaged.
DIGS CEO, Kez Adey, who is a wheelchair user, says there have been cases of cords being cut, looped, or tied.
"They get tied up by cleaners, by parents who's children are pulling on the cords and they cut," she said. "I'm a wheelchair user, I use an accessible toilet most of the time that I'm out in public. So for me, that red cord unfortunately can be life or death."
Posters provided by Signs In Motion are being installed in accessible toilets across the city.
The cords are supposed to reach the floor, but the tampering can leave them out of reach to people who are in greatest need.
Kez highlighted her concerns about someone being stuck inside the accessible toilet in the Market Place, stressing that calls for help are likely to go unheard, especially on a market day.
She described it as "a huge problem", saying some businesses who have accessible toilets have cut the cords as they "become a nuisance".
But Kez revealed that the cables do have a quick and easy way to reset them and cancel the alarm.
"There is a reset button that you can quickly press that cuts off the alarm going off and doesn't raise awareness. It might embarrass you, but rather embarrass you than cause somebody else harm," she said.
She urged anyone who sees an emergency cord in an accessible toilet that is tampered with to take action.
"If you do see them tied up, then untie them. If they are cut, then please report them to whoever is in charge. If it's a business, it's the business that's in charge. If it's a public toilet, it's normally one of the local councils," she said.
Cllr Sam Foster, Chair of the Commercial Services Committee, said, “It was a privilege to have DIGS bring this campaign to our committee’s attention and to be able to provide Salisbury City Council’s support for it.
"This has been one of those times where I was left thinking why isn’t this already being done, and if DIGS, Salisbury City Council and Signs in Motion can tackle this issue then let’s take the opportunity we have to do so.
“I look forward to seeing the campaign be rolled out, and then continuing to look at its effectiveness and whether new ideas are needed. Our committee’s view was clear that this isn’t just about a nice campaign but actually making sure we address the important issue of preventing red emergency cords being tampered with.”