You're taking the p***! Dystopian toilet won't give you loo roll unless you watch an advert first

Visitors to London train stations will remember having to insert a coin to use the toilet.

But cheeky restroom authorities in China are now going a step further – and people think they're seriously taking the p***. 

A viral clip, posted to Instagram by China Insider, shows a Chinese WC that makes people watch an advert before they get any toilet paper. 

Even if they're desperate to do their business, users have to scan a QR code and watch the promo on their phone before the sheets are dispensed. 

On Reddit, the futuristic-looking technology has been branded 'dystopian', 'sick' and 'a vision of hell' by commentators.

One person said: 'I would be the first to punch and disassemble those machines, or come back with a screwdriver later.' 

Another posted: 'this would make me become one of those people that smear their own s*** on the bathroom wall.' 

A third Reddit user called it 'a sh***y thing to do', while a fourth said 'society is really going down the toilet'. 

As shown in the clip, people need to use their phone to scan a QR code on the white-and-yellow toilet roll dispenser, which is mounted on the wall. 

Once scanned, the QR code directs the smartphone to the advert lasting a few seconds. 

When the ad's finished, the machine dispenses about six squares of paper – and if people want more, they have to watch more ads. 

Alternatively, they can pay 0.5 Chinese RMB (about 5p) to get their toilet paper without having to watch an ad.

But this still requires people to tap away at their phone and make payment digitally.

Either way, the high-tech gadget might prove an unwelcome strain on a full bladder. 

From the clip, it appears the machine is in the communal area of the bathroom – meaning people have to get the paper before doing their business. 

And those who haven't taken enough into the cubicle with them might soon be left in an unfortunate predicament.  

Allegedly, the machine is supposed to cut down on paper usage, as previously people would use more toilet roll than they really need.

This system makes people rather more economical about how much they use. 

It's unclear where this footage was taken in China, but residents may be more inclined to take their own toilet rolls with them wherever they go. 

It is already 'the norm to carry your own TP in China', according to one Reddit user, who also recommends travelers carry their own soap. 

Unlike in western developed countries, most public toilets in China do not provide toilet paper onsite, a 2020 study points out.  

Also, Chinese toilets are generally not designed for receiving flushed toilet paper, as the plumbing systems are not built for it. 

As a result, an open waste bin is placed in each user's cubicle to collect used toilet paper and tissues – which has triggered health concerns. 

Squat toilets instead of flush toilets are also common in Chinese public restrooms.  

Having to watch ads for toilet paper is a new thing, although paying for the toilet is of course not.  

In Britain, public toilets installed in the mid-1800s required a penny to be unlocked, in the era before decimal currency. 

These pay toilets were used mostly by women, while public male urinals were free. 

It's where the idiom 'to spend a penny' comes from, meaning to urinate. 

It wasn't that long ago that Brits had to pay 30p or even more to use the toilet at some of the country's busiest railway stations, including London Paddington, Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh Waverley. 

But in a move to put 'passengers first', Network Rail scrapped all toilet charges by 2019.