A misleading sign about the temporary closure of a tube station’s female toilets has sparked outrage online.

The poster, pinned up inside west London’s Ealing Broadway station, said the female facilities would be shut between August 12 and August 26.

It reads: ‘During this time the disabled toilet will be available to all females. This will allow the existing female toilets to be converted into male and female facilities’.

Many commuters understandably took this to mean that the female toilets would now be gender neutral and accused TfL of discrimination.

Twitter user Hannah shared a photo of it with the caption: ‘Hey quick question @TfL, will this reduce female provision at Ealing Broadway?

‘Are the existing male facilities staying and men just need more toilets somehow?’

The post was quickly met with a series of replies which called the notion discrimination and questioned the why male facilities were seemingly being left untouched.

One person wrote: ‘Ah that’ll be the 50 per cent of men who experience urinary incontinence after having a baby. Oh wait, no, sorry, I meant women.’

Another pointedly added: ‘Sexual assaults increase 18 times in mixed sex facilities, not to mention an explosion of secret filming. Surely you’re not willingly exposing your female customers to risk?’

A third said: ‘There are NEVER enough female toilets #WhyDoWeHaveToQueue.’

While a fourth sarcastically noted: ‘Because women love to share public toilets with drunken men at night when there are no staff to call on when unsafe on TfL property.

‘Also: it is contrary to #EqualityAct2010 which protects the characteristic of Sex.’

A Transport for London spokesperson has now told Metro.co.uk that the poster was ‘misleading’, adding that the toilets are not being made gender neutral.

They said they will now be changing the posters to avoid further confusing in the future.

The spokesperson said: ‘I can understand the confusion as the poster is a bit misleading! The female toilets are being converted into separate and different male and female facilities.

‘The male toilets are being moved from their old position due to a lift installation.’

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