SO work can start soon on Ledbury's new toilets, well not if myself and fellow campaigners have anything to do with it.

Meetings between Ledbury town councillors, local tourist, retail and town promotion organisations and representatives of Herefordshire Council have established that the proposed location at the entrance to the Bye Street car park is not the preferred location.

We have cited many reasons why the toilets should not be located here and we have identified several other more suitable locations but our efforts remain unsupported by our Herefordshire Council representatives and so we continue to battle to get Ledbury's new public toilets in a location that is safe and accessible to all members of the public.

The proposed location is not safe, it is regularly used by articulated lorries delivering goods to rear entrances at shops in The Homend, there is also no footpath access from The Homend car park and the pavement (such as it is) from Bye Street is frequently blocked by large vans from a local business loading and unloading.

During the summer Ledbury has a large visitor influx with many arriving by coach, the first thing most people want to do as soon as they arrive is use the public toilets. The inadequate facilities proposed by The Herefordshire Council will result in queuing at an extremely busy entrance to Ledbury's main car park. During the course of the year we have several major public events including the carnival and poetry festival. These also demand public toilet facilities and with the closure of two town centre pubs this need will become even greater.

Come on Ledbury residents, letters constantly received by Ledbury Town Council complaining about the inadequacies of Ledbury's public toilets show that there is a dire and urgent need for first class and modern facilities in a safe and easily accessible location. We will only have one shot at this, as soon as the new toilets are built it is probable that the facilities in Church Lane will close and so we will be left with just these proposed totally inadequately facilities being offered by Herefordshire Council.

Please take the trouble to see the plans and visit the location, make your concerns known to The Herefordshire Council and help the campaign to provide the facilities that Ledbury deserves and demands.

Martin Eager, deputy mayor, Northmead, Ledbury.