Staffordshire County Council Loo of the Year
The office toilet in County Building Stafford was one of the reasons why Staffordshire won the award (Loo of the Year Awards)

The best toilets in the UK are in Staffordshire, according to the Loo of the Year Awards 2012.

Staffordshire County Council won the overall award for its entries to the competition. Previous winners of the accolade include JD Wetherspoon, McDonalds and the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

The ceremony took place on 7 December in Solihull, West Midlands, and celebrated the best "away from home toilets" across the UK.

The Loo of the Year Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary this year and marked the occasion in style, with entertainment from comedian Shappi Khorsandi.

Tickets for the event cost £84, which may seem flush, but the price included a champagne reception and a four-course meal with wine.

The Awards began with the national categories; with loos from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all being recognised. Categories included the Accessible Toilet, Baby Changing Facilities and the Eco Friendly Toilet.

Loo of the Year Awards 2012
Staffordshire County Council collected the awards at the ceremony in the West Midlands (Loo of the Year Awards)

Awards were also given to toilet attendants, with three categories winning trophies for their efforts.

The McDonald's at the A5 Chirk won the Individual Attendant Team Trophy, the Trafford Centre won the In-house Cleaning Team Trophy and City Facilities Management - Asda, won the External Contractor Cleaning Team Trophy.

Mike Bone, managing director of the Awards, said around 30 people from Staffordshire County Council attended the event and 12 went on state to collect their prize. "They always support the Loo of the Year Awards," he said.

Speaking about how the event panned out, Bone said that 360 people attended in total: "That was really marvellous; we were really pleased with that.

"It was a fun day. From the comments we received on the day and since, everybody enjoyed it and some even said it was our best event ever, so I was really pleased with that as it was our 25th anniversary.

"I'm looking forward to next year and we'll be doing a survey later on to see what we can do to make it even better."

County councillor Mark Winnington, cabinet member for Assets and the Environment, said: "Our Cleaning Services is an incredibly successful and dedicated team that provides a vital service to the people of Staffordshire.

"I am really delighted to see that their hard work has yet again been recognised at a national level. To win one award at such a prestigious ceremony is a major achievement but to come away with seven, including overall winner is incredible. This is a real testimony to the hard work of the team. Keep up the good work."