FELLSIDE residents are calling on visitors to the picture postcard village of Dufton to sign their petition to fight the possible closure of the public toilets.

Dufton Parish Council is reeling after hearing from Eden District Council that the loos, including a disabled toilet in the tourist spot, will close in October unless the Parish will take on responsibility for their upkeep.

In a bid to fight the move, a campaign group has been formed from councillors and residents. They believe closing the loos is certain to hit the village's tourist trade and affect public hygiene.

On behalf of the action group Frei Walker said: "One of the main points of our campaign is that there has been insufficient consultation between Eden District Council and Dufton Parish Council.

"We believe the closure of the toilets, next to the village car park, is a waste of a relatively new facility. It is unrealistic to expect the Dufton ratepayers to finance the facility in future years on top of the already existing high council tax."

The group says Eden District Council has calculated that an additional £50 precept per household would be required to keep open the toilets.

Members believe there has been no consideration of the impact of the closure on tourism and local employment. They say that if tourism was affected it could waste previous investment to develop and support local employment in the leisure industry. They feel that "Green Tourism" for example cycling and walking is most at risk because Dufton is a major point on several national and well advertised cycle routes and walking publications. It is also a popular stop-off point along the Pennine Way.

The first step in the Dufton residents' campaign has been to ask visitors to the village to sign their petition and in just two days they collected more than 300 signatures.

Mrs Walker added: "This is just the start of our campaign. We are determined to fight for our village facilities all the way."

An Eden District Council spokesman said: "Following a review of provision of public conveniences, EDC has resolved that it can no longer run the public toilets at Dufton. However, they have been offered to Dufton Parish Council to maintain and run as an alternative. EDC will offer financial assistance for the maintenance and cleaning of the toilets for the first three years of the arrangement and will give an annual grant to assist with the upkeep after that."