The pop-up urinal in Stroud is going to be removed by the council.

A ‘Urilift’ costing £45,000 was installed on King Street in 2007 by Stroud District Council.

By day it was a nondescript ring embedded in the pavement, but the urinal would emerge from the ground between 7pm and 7am.

It was installed as part of an effort to stop people urinating in shop doorways at night.

However, after repeatedly breaking, Stroud District Council now plans to remove the urinal “as soon as practical” because of the cost of repairs and maintenance.

“The manufacturer of the Urilift facility has informed the council that repairs would cost around £10,000 with an ongoing annual maintenance charge of £5,000,” a spokesperson for the council told the SNJ this morning.

“The council spends approximately £340,000 on nine public toilet facilities and cannot bear the cost of this repair.

“It was installed in 2007 and has reached the end of its life. It will be removed from King Street as soon as practical.”

News of the urinal’s upcoming removal comes as seven out of the nine public toilets on Bedford Street remain closed.

They were shut by the council after its cleaners discovered drug paraphernalia including needles in them, prompting safety concerns.

Two are now back open and sharps bins, which allow for the safe disposal of needles, are on their way.

Toilets in the Subscription Rooms were also shut by the council and they remain closed.