Fareham kebab shop staff accused of telling delivery driver to 'get lost' when asking to use toilets

A delivery driver has complained after allegedly being told to “get lost” when refused access to the toilets at a Fareham takeaway on three occasions, despite being there to collect customer orders.

The driver, who has worked in the delivery industry for five years, says he was told to "take your order and get lost" by a member of staff at German Doner Kebab in West Street on 29 October.

He claims the incident happened in front of two customers and another delivery rider, after he asked to use the toilet while collecting an order.

When he told the staff member he intended to report the matter to the council, he was allegedly told to go ahead because the employee did not care.

He claims it was the third time delivery riders had been turned away since the takeaway changed its approach around five weeks ago.

On an earlier occasion, he says a member of staff told him he was "just a driver". When he explained that he had a medical condition requiring frequent toilet access, he was allegedly asked to produce a medical report.

During another visit, he says staff gave him four different reasons for refusing access, including that the main toilet was upstairs, the downstairs facility was reserved for disabled customers, and concerns about drivers using water bottles instead of toilet tissue.

He also claims staff raised concerns about homeless people using the facilities if the toilet door was left open.

The driver says he was previously assured that delivery riders would be allowed to use the facilities on subsequent visits, but the refusals continued. He also alleges that some riders have been allowed access while others have been turned away.

He says he has collected orders from the restaurant for several years without difficulty and has never experienced similar treatment at nearby McDonald's, Burger King or KFC outlets.

The driver has reported the matter to Fareham Borough Council's Environmental Health team and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

He believes delivery drivers should have access to toilet and handwashing facilities when collecting orders and wants the restaurant's policy changed, rather than seeking compensation or disciplinary action against individual staff.

A spokesperson for Fareham Borough Council said: "I can confirm that a complaint has been received regarding this incident.

"Environmental Health Officers will be visiting the site to speak with the manager in the first instance, after which they will follow up with the owners as part of their enquiries."

The council's investigation is ongoing.