Hilarious sign erected in Oamaru public toilet after man was locked in

The sign is located on the Itchen Street public bathroom.
The sign is located on the Itchen Street public bathroom. Photo credit: Reddit/MandyAlwaysKnows

A hilarious sign has been put up outside an Oamaru public toilet after a man was locked in the facility.

The sign, that is circulating on social media, reads: "The toilet has been locked up for the night."

"We do apologise if you have accidentally been locked in this facility," it continues.

A photo of the sign on Reddit has prompted many people to wonder if being locked in the loo is a common problem in Oamaru.

"Why is this a thing? LMFAO do they just walk up, lock up without checking?" one person said.

"No peeing after hours! Hold on till morning," another person commented.

According to the Waitaki District Council parks officer, a man was locked in the Itchen St toilet back in 2019.

The man had to call the council's contractor Downer who helped rescue him.

"The responsibility of locking this toilet along with the Oamaru Lookout rests in another contract, so we installed the sign so that the right contractor is called to address the issue," the park officer said. 

"It is a requirement that the contractor checks the facilities before locking them. We lock the facility after hours to prevent any vandalism. 

"To my knowledge, we haven't had any other people locked in this facility since the sign was installed."

However, social media users have noticed a "catch 22" to the sign.

"How difficult it might be to find the number to ring when you are already locked up."