Lack of public toilets harming tourism - councillor

Dwindling numbers of public toilets are leaving some people fearful of leaving their homes and putting tourists off visiting beauty spots in Cumbria, a councillor has said.

Cumberland Council is being urged to improve access to facilities to ensure nobody is deterred from enjoying the county's celebrated rural areas.

Ahead of a meeting next week, Liberal Democrat Roger Dobson said the council could open toilets in its buildings or sell off assets to fund the provision of new public conveniences.

A council spokesman said it operated 13 public toilets and had enough accessible provision for disabled people.

Councils are not obliged to operate public toilets and the number operated by local authorities has fallen nationally recently.

A struggle to access toilets could deter people from areas like Cumbria that are keen to attract more visitors, Mr Dobson said.

"We have a huge population here and we're desperate for tourists but the facilities are not adequate," he added.

Mr Dobson said limited access in public spaces risked leaving those with disabilities and bladder conditions feeling restricted.

"There is a significant proportion of the population who may need to access a toilet with urgency," he said.

"As this becomes more difficult, there are more people who are now in fear of leaving their homes in case of embarrassment when out."

Mr Dobson urged the council to consider boosting access by opening authority-owned buildings to the public and releasing under-used assets to fund the provision of new facilities.

The council spokesman said its maintained facilities were in accessible areas including town centres, parks, green spaces and car parks.

He said they were regularly cleaned and maintained, adding: "Any issues that are raised either by the cleaning team or members of the public are dealt with as soon as possible."

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