I have written to you in the past regarding my anxiety over the lack of conveniently placed toilets in Seaton.

The understanding we were given was that the Harbour Road toilets would be removed in December!

Well, I have now had a reply from EDDC regarding all this which, from the enclosed copy, you will see all the answers we ever need to know…!

“Dear P A Lucas

Streetscene are not due to close the Harbour Road toilets in December.

We have no plans to do so in the foreseeable future. Should they ever be closed, it would only be at the instruction of our publicly elected council members.

East Devon District Council has no control over what is printed in the private press.

I can only assume that the article was factually incorrect.

EDDC currently provides 38 public toilets across the district, five of which are in Seaton (three year-round, two seasonal).

This is a very large provision compared to most other district councils across the country; district councils are not legally required to provide any public toilets, unlike other services such as street cleansing that are a legal requirement.

EDDC members have always chosen to fund a considerable number of public toilets as they realise the benefit it brings to tourism and the local economy.

However, public toilets are not cheap to run and it is not feasible to have them all over the place.

In addition to the public toilets provided in Seaton, there are countless caf�s and other establishments in the town that have toilet facilities.

It is perfectly reasonable to expect the public to make use of these as well as the public toilets - doing so will benefit the businesses providing them and assist the local economy.

Streetscene”

Mrs Pamela Lucas

55 Scalwell Lane

Seaton