A TAUNTON resident has voiced his concerns about the state of public toilets across the town centre.

Mr Ray Rose said public toilets on Fore Street “stink and they are a mess” and addressing a full town council meeting last night (Tuesday, September 12) said “something needs to be done”.

Mr Rose also complained about the state of public toilets on Castle Green, French Weir, and Vivary Park.

He said: “They stink and they are a mess. I won’t go into details of what I saw on Castle Green.

“The urinals do not flush, I have been checking since April and they are a right mess.

“Everybody keeps passing the buck.

“In French Weir, the woman at the café said the same. It is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Something needs to be done.”

He also added he found needles and evidence of drug use in some toilets.

Councillor Tom Deakin, leader of Taunton Town Council, said: “I think all of us around this table share your concerns.

“We are committed to getting them sorted for the people of Taunton and we are working on making that happen, so we are doing the best we can."

Cllr Deakin also reminded that a Public Toilets Working Group has been recently established to consider the issues and future upgrades for the existing public toilets.

One of their first actions was to request funding for footfall monitors to assist with prioritising improvement work and building surveys on public toilets in Castle Green and Victoria Park.

The town council took on responsibility for a number of public toilets in Taunton after the local government reform.

These are as follows: Castle Green Toilets - Canon Street Toilets - French Weir Toilets - Hamilton Gault Toilets - Priorswood Place Toilets - Victoria Street Toilets - Vivary Park Toilets.

The newly established working group will

  • Understand the portfolio of Public Toilets and their existing issues/concerns
  • Work in partnership and collaboration with Friends of Groups, businesses, and residents as well as Somerset Council to identify possible solutions
  • Explore potential grant funding opportunities associated with the upgrading of public toilets
  • Relevant case studies, feedback, and lessons from other councils and other public bodies on improvement potentials.