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A study that cost taxpayers £50,000 recommended the government scrap 'Ladies' and 'Gents' toilet signs because they might offend transgender people.

After a year of research, academics at Sheffield Hallam University suggested calling them 'toilets with urinals' and 'toilets without urinals' instead.

Disabled loos could be called 'larger toilet with grab bars'.

Dr Jenny Slater, who led the study, insisted: "Toilets may seem a frivolous subject, but they are at the heart of important discussions about how we understand our own identities."

(Image: Getty)

"The starting point for us is to explore how disabled people and those identifying as trans, gender-queer or non-binary are treated in modern society."

Other suggestions made by the study, include returning to paper towels as some users were “stressed” by the sound of hand-dryers, as well as including a sink in some cubicles for Muslim women to wash before prayer.

The study was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

A spokesman told The Sun the research tackled “the concerns and everyday experiences of diverse communities and has the potential to improve their quality of life”.