A mother of a boy with Cerebral Palsy has praised a shopping centre for installing state-of-the-art toilets, saying without these 'our world shrinks as my son grows'.

On Wednesday intu Watford officially opened 'Changing Places', which are toilets suitable for people with profound and multiple disabilities.

Sheri Skelton, who lives in Watford, has been campaigning for years for more venues to provide the facilities.

Sheri’s son, Owen, six, has Cerebral Palsy and knows the difficulties parents and individuals face.

She said: "We are so happy that intu Watford now has a Changing Places toilet, without Changing Places our world shrinks as my son grows. This facility means that our family and thousands of others now feel even more welcome and included at the centre. We will now be able to spend a whole day doing activities like shopping and bowling knowing that our son’s toileting needs will be met safely and with dignity."

Vicki Costello, general manager at intu Watford said: “We are absolutely delighted that Sheri and Owen agreed to open the Changing Places toilet. Through our research and from talking with parents and organisations about the daily difficulties and challenges they come across when in public, we realised how important it was to build these facilities.”

The Changing Places toilet includes a hoist, a shower, an adjustable sink and changing bench suitable to hold the weight of an adult, to ensure all its shoppers can enjoy a relaxed and comfortable experience.

Vicki adds: “We are pleased to have them ready and open in time for the launch of the first phase of our new development, which starts on Thursday, September 27 and sees Debenhams open its doors for the first time.”

The toilets are located on the upper mall near the entrance to the new development.

The anticipated line-up for the £180 million development includes 13 new retailers, 11 new restaurants and leisure facilities. Superdry, H&M, Jack Wills, New Look, The Florist, TGI Friday, Las Iguanas, and YO! Sushi, will all be new to Watford. A new public square will also be home to fun community events including street art and music shows.