A toilet closure causing struggle for elderly people and children has prompted Dartmouth Town Council to discuss a reformation of the town’s public loos.

At the corporate property committee meeting last night, an issue was raised by a member of the public, who wrote to express his concerns over the signage for the public toilets on Manor Gardens, South Town, which were closed by SHDC.

It was the committee’s first meeting since the elections earlier this month.

Robert Hart Fletcher, a company director, was in Bayard’s Cove Inn a few days prior, and saw a young mum with a distressed child, desperate to go to the loo. He said the mother saw the ‘public toilet’ sign pointing up Bayards Hill towards the toilets and started climbing up it. Running across to inform her that the loos were closed, Robert suggested the staff at Bayards Cove Inn would likely let her use their toilets.

He later described another situation when he stepped in to assist struggling visitors: “Again today in Bayards Cove I saw an elderly man pushing a wheel chair with, what I suspect was his wife. I over heard them talking about ‘the nearest loo’ and then he saw the ‘public toilets’ sign and tried to push his wife up Bayards Hill.

“It’s a really steep hill and he was getting into difficulties, so I walked over and advised him to try the Dartmouth arms or Bayards Cove Inn.”

Recalling his letter at the meeting, he asked that the sign be removed or covered, and that the council should rethink all the facilities around town.

There is a currently a closure sign by the toilets, but this is only in view once you walk up the hill, next to the loo entrance on South Town.

Robert told the committee: “I know that if anybody went into Bayards Cove and asked if they could use the loo, they would say yes because they’re nice folk. Not everyone does and sometimes people are embarrassed about doing that.”

He explained the project already in place in Frome, whose town council’s community toilet scheme invites people to use services in local businesses such as cafes, restaurants, hotels and pubs.

Robert thinks introducing a similar scheme to Dartmouth would be a good thing: “One good turn deserves another. We’ll have happier visitors with a chance to show their gratitude with a little purchase.”

Cllr Tessa de Galleani suggested participating businesses could have money off their rates in exchange for offering their services, as it helps people in the town.

Chairman of the committee, Cllr Lucy Williams, said: “It’s a great idea. It encourages people into businesses.”

No firm decisions to introduce a scheme such as this have been made by the council yet.

More on the meeting to follow.