CREWKERNE’S Mayor, Councillor Kathy Head, officially opened the newly modernised public toilets in Falkland Square.

Cllr Head was joined for the ribbon-cutting ceremony by the chairman of the Amenities Committee, Cllr Dan Wakeman on Wednesday, February 9.

The major refurbishment of the gents and ladies toilets, which began at the beginning of December last year, has transformed the cubicles into two modern unisex pods.

The disability toilet on site has also been fully refurbished and now doubles up as a changing unit for babies.

Maintenance for the toilets was relinquished by South Somerset District Council in 2014 and handed over to Crewkerne Town Council.

They were already in a 'tired state' when the town council took on the responsibility for maintaining them and their location in the centre of the town meant that they were well used by members of the public and badly in need of an urgent upgrade.

In the Mayor's Annual Budget Report in February 2019, Cllr Kathy Head stated that the “grant funding provided at the time of the handover of the toilets had been totally used up, so the full cost of maintaining them had to come through the precept”.

The original project costs were set at £58,520 for the two unisex cubicles and the refurbishment of the disabled toilet cubicle.

A spokesperson for Crewkerne Town Council confirmed that these costs were “partially funded by Crewkerne Town Council by provision in the current year budget and reserves earmarked for the project, as well as by £20,000 awarded from SSDC's Market Town Investment Group (MTIG) as part of the Capital Priority Project Scheme”.

In addition to the original specification, councillors agreed to also extend the heating and ventilation into the disability toilet and improve the uneven and cracked access path leading to it with tarmac surfacing.

The cost of this was a further £1,520 with 50 per cent of this cost met by further funding from MTIG.

The public toilets in Falkland Square are currently open daily from 7am until 7pm, although these hours will be reviewed and may be extended to open longer during the summer months and at other busier times of the year.