"I said to my husband, there must be a better way," said Gennard-Levy. "The loos are awful in this country.''

As councils have looked to cut their costs, the number of toilets has decline 40% between 2000 and 2005, leaving 415 to serve a population of 7.5 million, according to Government figures.

What toilets remain are often dirty and smelly, as well as being havens for drug users.

Research by the environmental charity Encams shows that 95% of Britons have urinated, vomited or defecated in public as there were no public facilities available.

To make matters worse, a 53% increase in London house prices over the last five years has motivated councils to sell off old toilets to property developers.

"It's not cost-effective to keep them,'' according to Tony Wood, an estate agent who helped convert a multi-stalled Victorian toilet in Forest Hill to a split-level flats that you can rent for £700 per month.

After initially charging £5 at its launch, Gennard-Levy's luxury toilet now charges £1 for use of the toilet only and £5 for a pampering service. That contrasts with the 20p charge that mainline rail stations levy for using their toilets.

"I would have been happy to pay the full price,'' says publisher Catherine Snow after using the new service. "I've had to run into horrible pubs and hope they didn't see me.''