A charity shop has explained why an elderly man was told he couldn't use its toilet shortly before soiling himself.

The Cats Protection shop has been criticised for turning away the man who was desperate to use the loo.

Employees at the store on Cornwall Street pointed him towards a nearby cafe, pointing out it would be awkward for the man, who was walking with a stick, to access their own toilet up three flights of stairs.

In a post on social media, the charity was accused of ‘shocking customer care’ by a family friend, reports the Herald .

The post said: “@CatsProtection Shocking customer care in a Plymouth store, horrified!

“Allowing man in 70s to soil himself rather than use their toilet!?”

The man, who did not wish to be named, told The Herald that his wife had been looking after the elderly man at the time of the incident.

He said that while the man was in the store he found himself needing to go to the toilet.

He explained: “He was denied access to the shop toilet purely because it was a 'staff toilet'.

“Following this he was left with no choice but to attempt to get to the nearest public toilet.

“This failed and the man in his 70s was left humiliated after soiling himself in public.”

He added: “I wanted to highlight the disgusting treatment to not only the store but others.

“This kind of attitude towards people in general is shocking. What if it were a pregnant lady?"

Cats Protection responded to the allegations on social media to say that they would be investigating.

In a statement to The Herald the charity apologised for the incident – and explained the reasons behind the controversial policy.

Rhian Timms, Cats Protection’s Area Retail Manager for South West and South Wales, said: “We are sorry to hear about this incident.

“Unfortunately we cannot allow members of the public to access staff or personnel areas in our shops for safety and security reasons.

“In this particular case, our shop volunteer noted that the gentleman required the aid of a walking stick and therefore, it would also have been impractical for him to negotiate the back rooms containing stock and the three steep flights of stairs to access the toilet in the shop.

“He was therefore directed to the nearest public convenience, located in a cafe just a few doors down, which was felt to be more accessible.

She added: “He then left the shop without complaint.”

One person who commented on the Devon Live article said: "This is standard policy in all shops including charity shops."

They said "an innocent charity shop" had been made a spectacle of when "the true fault lies with councils who fail to provide adequate public facilities".

"Not everyone has the physical ability to walk (or run) half a mile to the nearest remaining open toilets, and pubs and cafes aren't that helpful unless you spend your money in their establishment.

"I sympathize with this gentleman and his humiliation, but please don't blame the charity shop."