Forget SatNav, Get 'SatLav' To Find Nearest Toilet

First came SatNav for lost drivers. Now there's 'SatLav' -- a toilet-finding service to help people in urgent need in central London.

Westminster City Council has launched a new mobile phone text message service that will guide Londoners and tourists to their nearest public lavatory.

Anyone who sends the word 'Toilet' to 80097 will receive a reply giving details of their nearest public convenience.

62-year-old student Gail Knight came up with the idea for an innovation competition run by the council.

"When I'm out with friends we're always ducking into McDonalds or department stores to use their loos but we feel a bit bad about it," she said. "I thought a text service would be really useful for people on the move."

Unlike in-car devices that rely on satellites to pinpoint someone's location, the SatLav uses mobile phone technology. It'll cost you 25 pence (50 cents) to use the service.

The Westminster area includes many of the capital's most popular sights, such as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. The 'SatLav' could be expanded to other areas if it gains popularity.

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