ANSWERING a call of nature in Salcombe is set to become more difficult and more expensive, thanks to a new charge of 20p and winter closures. The fee will apply to the public toilets at Whitestrand in the town, when South Hams Council installs coin-operated pay units before Christmas. The change is to be brought in at around the same time that the district council will close two Salcombe loos, at South Sands and in Cliff House Gardens, for the winter. The new charge is part of a trial involving three public conveniences: Kingsbridge Quay and Bigbury, as well as Whitestrand. But councillors have asked why, if the scheme is being trialled at the busiest toilets, bigger towns such as Dartmouth and Totnes appear to have escaped the charges. At a meeting of Salcombe Town Council on Wed- nesday, September 10, issues surrounding public loos were discussed. Cllr Tony Lang said he knew the King's Arms was concerned about the proposed charge at Whitestrand. 'For the money it will raise I think it's a silly idea,' he said. 'It's petty – people already complain about the price of things in Salcombe, and when I mentioned it to holidaymakers they couldn't believe it.' Afterwards Salcombe mayor, Cllr Mike Fice, said: 'South Hams seem to have ignored bigger places like Totnes and Dartmouth for trialling the charge. 'But I don't really have a problem with charging for some toilets if it can safeguard others in the area. One concern I do have, though, is the impact on local businesses, from people who work on the water and shops to pubs that might have more people using their toilets.' Plans for winter closures of public toilets at South Sands and Cliff House Gardens have long been in the pipeline. South Hams Council told Salcombe councillors earlier in the year that the five toilets in the town cost in the region of £80,000 a year to run, and that it planned to make the closures to save money. But a recent letter to the town council set out seven options for the future of the facilities, including the possibility of an 'asset transfer', whereby the town council would take over the running of the toilets, including responsibility for repairs and maintenance. The letter stated that South Hams Council would pay the town around £7,500 to run Cliff House Gardens' loos and around £12,000 for South Sands. But as councillors pointed out in a scathing response to the letter, any takeover could not happen in time for this winter, as the budget for the year had already been set. They also questioned the 'ridiculous' figures, saying that they bear no relation to previous statements from the district council. Referring to the proposals in the letter, Cllr Rob Wheeler said: 'If you applied this kind of reasoning to the entire operation of South Hams Council, it doesn't bear thinking about. It's unprofessional.' A spokesman for South Hams Council said: 'We have recently consulted with town and parish councils across the South Hams to look at the viability of toilets in their areas and protect those that are used more frequently during the high season. 'As part of this work we identified Whitestrand toilets as being used very regularly and suggested that we could trial some income-generation ideas that we had, which includes pay coin units. 'Salcombe Town Council was happy to be involved in these trials and we're looking at putting in the units before Christmas. The toilets are owned by South Hams Council and cost just over £24,000 each year to run. 'Additionally, we are also looking at trialling income-generation ideas at Kingsbridge Quay and Bigbury-on-Sea toilets.'