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Future of sex hotspot toilets to be decided
Friday 21st May 2010, 1:30PM BST.
The future of public toilets in the centre of Shrewsbury – which have been labelled by police as a hotspot for a sexual practice known as “cottaging” – will be discussed behind closed doors at a meeting next week.
The dilapidated toilets in Butcher Row were closed in February after Shrewsbury Town Council took action following advice from police.
Councillor Malcolm Price said West Mercia Police had warned the authority that the lavatories were being advertised on a national website for groups of men to meet up for anonymous sex.
The council said it had closed the men’s toilets after councillors heard that there were concerns for the safety of members of the public and of staff.
Helen Ball, Shrewsbury Town clerk, today said councillors would receive an update on Monday night, but the public will be barred from attending.
Mrs Ball said: “I think a lot of it is because of the unpleasant nature of the matter as well as contractual reasons as well.”
She said any decisions made by the committee will be revealed on Tuesday.
Councillor Price said the council needed to make a decision quickly .
He said: “We closed the toilets in February to see what the public response was and we have signposted people to other areas of the town with regards to public toilet facilities.
“But as a council we have got to make a decision one way or another, whether to retain them in their current form or get rid of them. There could be a revamp but part of the problem is that the toilets are below ground and not really disabled compliant and if they are retained I think they will need to be rebuilt on the ground level.”
Mr Price said that any decisions would be put out to public consultation.
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Unroot brick by brick and put it down by the river next to you-know-what, they can call it Quantum Leak.
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So the facility to take a pee is going to be closed down because of a minority in society who are causing a problem. How convenient for the council not to have to maintain and pay for the facility under the guise of doing it for the protection of the public.
Would it not be a better idea to solve the problem by increased policing and design of the toilets to prevent cottaging from taking place? An increased policing in the past changed the reputation of those toilets and the resultant publicity deterred offenders.
When you are shopping in Shrewsbury and in dire need of a toilet facility you are not allowed to pee in alleyways or in public places. Shops and businesses have facilities that are for customers only.
It is inappropriate to close a public faciliity due to the bad behavior of a minority.
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So, a couple of men have a bit of a play in there now and again, so what. Certainly less of a problem than broken syringes on the floor and the local tramp dossing in there.
Just another excuse from the council to close the place down it seems.
Re-think, re-build, and charge a nominal fee for the use. The druggies wont have a spare 20p and the cottagers wont wont to pay for the pleasure…
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