The last remaining public toilet in a Somerset village that’s very popular with tourists visiting the nearby Exmoor National Park is set to close unless an extra funding source is found, a recent news report in the local media has been able to suggest.
Dunster Parish Council have funded and maintained the toilets in the Dunster Steep Car Park since April 2017 after West Somerset District Council stopped funding them.
Doug Challoner, chairman of Dunster Parish Council, said: “Visitors have not reacted well to paying to use the toilets.
“Quite a few complaints have been made and vandalism has taken place.”
In May, a vandal caused real damage to one of the locks and the parish council has struggled to repair it. It is currently out of order and will cost around £500 to replace.
“The parish council is currently making between 300 and 400 visits to the toilets for repairs, restocking and revenue collection and we do not believe this is a sustainable system,” Cllr Challoner said.
“We are trying to devise a non-paying system but the parish council already put a considerable sum toward the toilets and we believe the extra money will need to be found from local businesses – particularly those which benefit from the toilets staying open.”
Dunster Parish Council say if the situation stays as it is, the toilets will likely be closed in the next 12 months.
In order to provide public toilets, some sort of funding is necessary! Many train stations and other areas which have fee-paying toilets install machines which can produce change from notes, so that the public don’t need to worry about that element of it.
Our toilet turnstiles are built from graded stainless steel, for easier cleaning and maintenance, and also come equipped with lockable lids to prevent unwanted access. Furthermore, the separate coin box offers very versatile mounting options, as it can be installed either in front of the turnstile, at the side or alternatively, on the wall, with the cash box at the rear.
The turnstile’s coin mechanism can be programmed for virtually any combination of coins with a secure cash box to hold them, while the additional counters for the number of entries made will enable a thorough level of control over the system’s operation, and a useful audit trail.
They need no routine maintenance and come with a 2-year warranty.