King’s royal seat is beaten in Game of Thrones… By a Scots shopping centre built in the 1970s who aced prestigious Loo of the Year awards

One is a private royal residence dating back to the 19th century while the other is a Scots shopping centre built in the 1970s.

Now the latter in West Lothian has beaten the King’s Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk, in a contest for Loo of the Year.

The facilities at The Centre in Livingston scored top marks from the judges, beating 1,800 other conveniences around the country. 

Jane Kibble, awards manager for the accolade, said the loos at the 150-store shopping mall came out on top in almost every category. She said: ‘They scored 100 per cent in two of its four categories and 95 per cent in the other two.

‘It just shows that shopping centres have upped their game, especially since Covid which improved hygiene precautions.

‘The overall wow factor at Livingston impressed judges from the moment they walked in. The cleanliness and attention to detail was second to none. 

‘The facilities management company ABM deserve great credit for keeping and making these loos the best in Britain.’

King’s Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk, was beaten in a contest for Loo of the Year to a shopping centre

Ms Kibble added: ‘Judging is completed from a user perspective. Do the toilets meet the needs of all types of users – adults, children and babies and those with a disability? Are they fit for purpose?

‘The Loo of the Year Awards inspectors use an inspection and grading form which includes 100 criteria against which the toilets are judged. And Livingston were the highest scorers overall.’

Although Sandringham missed out on the top gong, it was graded Platinum Plus – just below the top Diamond Level – with washroom technician Ann Bleser highly commended at the award ceremony in Birmingham.

Ms Kibble said: ‘Only around 2 per cent of loos get Diamond and Sandringham were close.

‘Somebody had done their homework from the estate because they did very well with the criteria – with such things as low level wash basins and low level toilets. It certainly had the wow factor.’