Timers set to stop Brit civil servants from spending more than 10mins on the loo!

London, March 30 (ANI): British civil servants are unhappy after timers were installed on toilet lights to force them out of the restroom within ten minutes.

In accordance with the cost-cutting measures introduced at the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM), a hidden sensor switches off the toilet light after ten minutes.

However, staff have criticised the move, which aims to save millions of pounds.

"This was brought in without any staff consultation and is both humiliating and degrading," the Telegraph quoted a worker at the offices in Birmingham, as saying.

The civil servant went on: "Timers have been installed on the lights in the toilets, but everyone was already complying with requests to switch the lights off as we left.

"Can you imagine the indignity of being in a cubicle, letting nature take its course, when suddenly the lights go out, and you have to fumble in the dark to make yourself decent, before struggling to make your way out towards the main door to the toilets where the switch is?

"All the while you are praying someone doesn't enter the toilets and see you struggling in the dark with your trousers round your ankles."

"This is an undignified and unsafe practice, implemented in a misguided attempt to save cash and energy," the worker added.

However, a spokeswoman for the government office defended the move.

She said: "We have introduced a range of measures across Government Office buildings to reduce avoidable energy consumption and we are continuing with that work.

"The introduction of sensor switches has not raised comments from staff or visitors and we will continue to explore ways in which to reduce further our carbon footprint." (ANI)