Many British workers are suffering because of inadequate toilet facilities and restrictive toilet break rules, according to a new report.

The transport sector is particularly badly affected, along with industries such as mining, construction and quarrying, according to research published by the Labour Research Department (LRD).

Bus drivers, for example, struggled to find time between routes to use the toilet, and complained of a lack of public facilities in many cities, the report found.

Those with health problems such as irritable bowel syndrome experienced particular difficulties.

While most office workers did not experience problems, there were still some areas - for example call centres - where restrictive practices and surveillance meant that workers could be penalised for taking time off for toilet breaks.

One call centre gave workers in teams a wooden spoon. To go to the toilet, a worker had to take the spoon. If someone else in the team already had the spoon, no one else was allowed to go.

In other places, employers attempt to dock wages for time not on the production line, or - as in some meat industry plants - refuse to let workers off the production line to use the toilet during shifts lasting up to four hours, the report found.

Facilities can also be poor. In one of the worst examples - now resolved - caretakers at a housing association had access only to a bucket in a damp washroom area.

LRD researcher Dave Statham said: "For most workers, toilet breaks are not an issue: they go when they need to and that's that.

"But for some, the situation is not so simple, and the consequences can be unpleasant, unhealthy and humiliating.

"Employers in all industries need to realise that staff need proper access to clean facilities, and to be able to go when they need to without harassment or loss of pay."

Other issues included disabled access, lone working, requiring permission to go to the toilet, insufficient break time, and unhygienic facilities, the report found.