Longridge public toilets: market town's loos to reopen after £45,000 refurbishment but users will now be charged to use them

Council chiefs have welcomed an investment of around £45,000 to make the Berry Lane facility ‘vandal-proof’. The toilets were shut to the public earlier this year after a spate of vandal attacks.

Now they are set to re-open once work commissioned by the council is completed. Costing £45,000, the project will include the installation of CCTV cameras and ‘all-in-one’ sinks, taps and handdryers, similar to ones found in motorway service stations.

Why are Longridge’s Berry Lane public toilets closed?

The Berry Lane loos are currently closed after repeated bouts of vandalism, but Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee has backed an ambitious scheme to reopen them. Emma Baines, a Longridge town councillor, said: “The toilets have been revamped countless times, they have been in a real horrific state after vandals had ripped toilets off the walls, poured water all over, punched sinks through the floor and kicked the handryers off the walls.

“We received a quote from a private company at £45,000 to complete redo the toilets, vandal proof. It means all the facilities will be built into one pod, the hand dryer, sink and soap will be built into the wall. Meaning they will be impossible to tear off. It’s something we feel we have to invest in otherwise they’d constantly be closing, more so they’d be a physical risk for someone who’s elderly or frail.

“The toilets will also have CCTV and we're going to have to enforce a monetary contribution unfortunately but this will go to cleaning - the amount is something we have to look through and isn’t set yet.”

Who is responsible for maintaining the Berry Lane facilities?

Longridge Town Council took over responsibility for the toilets in 2012, but was forced to close them after they were repeatedly targeted by vandals. The toilets closed for the last time on January 9 this year after vandals again had their way in the public loos.

Last year a town council meeting revealed that the toilets had cost some £30,456 over the past five years for cleaning, repairs and hygiene costs. The cost of repairs varied from £1,059 in 2017/18 and £1,375 in 2018/19 to £256 in 2020/21.

Lee Jameson, also a town councillor, said: “It’s been a real cross-party support effort. Everyone was on board with it and we are looking to open within the next few months hopefully.

"To refurb and reopen they would just end up closed again and this has happened numerous times. So rather than go around in circles we are tackling it head on and doing what’s necessary to hopefully keep them open.”

How much will be people be charged to use Longridge’s public toliets?

Ribble Valley councillors heard it would cost £6,000 to bring the toilets into working condition but voted for a complete £45,000 vandal-proof revamp, instead. Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson said: “The provision of public toilets is not a statutory duty, but access to them can determine whether some people are able to enjoy the same freedoms as others.

“And although public toilets can regrettably be the subject of high levels of vandalism we are nevertheless committed to providing the facilities that our residents and visitors need. I am delighted that our community services committee has decided to take the Berry Lane toilets back into council management and refurbish them to a modern, vandal-proof standard.”

The schemes now go before Ribble Valley Borough Council’s policy and finance committee on April 4 for final approval. A decision on the cost of using the loos is yet to be made.