Calls have been made for public loos at a tourist honeypot on the Furness coast to be kept open, writes Rachel Kitchen.

And some councillors say money could be raised to keep the Bardsea toilets open by shutting the conveniences further down the coast at Aldingham which it is claimed are policed "almost daily" because of activity by homosexual men and drug users.

Bardsea is one of several public toilets South Lakeland District Council wishes to close this year to make savings of £100,000.

The council has set aside £75,000 match funding for any councils or bodies that can stump up half the running costs of their local loo, to keep it open.

Toilets at Bardsea, Berners Close in Grange-over-Sands, Greenodd, Milnthorpe and the Mechanic's Institute at Ambleside have all attracted funding offers of less than half those costs. Their fate was considered this week by SLDC's community overview and scrutiny committee, to see if their circumstances were so "unique" as to merit extra council funds to keep them open.

The recommendations which the committee came up with have yet to be approved by the Cabinet, which next meets on Wednesday, May 7.

Chairman Gill Cranwell said she had received a petition to keep the Bardsea loos open, signed by hundreds of people from as far afield as Berlin and the Channel Isles. The covering letter explained that, during 30 minutes of observation, the toilets were used 19 times; there were around 80 adults and 50 children on the beach; and more than 70 cars parked nearby.

The yearly running costs of the loos is £6,354. Urswick Parish Council and a group of local businesses have offered £350 each towards that.

Coun Cranwell said SLDC had decided to keep open the loos at Aldingham, further down the coast, but she was told there was little car parking there, and the toilets had to be policed "almost daily" because of the reported activities of homosexual men, and illegal substance users and dealers.

She suggested Aldingham toilets could be closed to save money and the Bardsea toilets kept open. "What persuades me very much is the fact a lot of police time is being taken at Aldingham and there's a hazard to our cleaners as I understand it."

Several councillors argued that Bardsea was a special case, including Coun Charles Batteson, who said it was "a tourist honeypot" yet was away from the village centre and had no other facilities nearby.

Councillors backed the principle of keeping Bardsea loos open while other sources of funding such as shutting Aldingham toilets were explored with the parish councils.

Councillors did not support the request of Egton with Newland and Lowick parish councils to reopen the public loos at Greenodd, with £200 funding from each parish council.

Grange Town Council has offered £3,000 towards keeping open the loos at Berners Close. Councillors were in favour of matching that offer, which would enable the toilets to stay open from Easter to October.

They felt a similar deal could be struck with Milnthorpe Parish Council, which has offered £2,250 towards running the conveniences at Milnthorpe Square.

Coun David Vatcher said talks about funding for the closure-threatened loos at the Mechanic's Institute, Ambleside, were still going on. Lakes Parish Council may be able to give £3,000, and traders are being asked to contribute. Councillors supported the idea of the loos staying open while talks continued.

l Cumbria police press officer Mike Smith confirmed they had received "a number of reports" concerning the toilets at Aldingham, and told the Gazette: "Officers are tasked with paying particular attention to that area with the aim of deterring any criminal or inappropriate activity therein."

He added: "It would be wrong to say we are there every day."

April 25, 2003 11:00