FIVE council-run toilets located in towns across the Caerphilly county borough will close next month due to ongoing financial pressures.

The council has agreed to close the facilities as part £15.6million savings requirement for 2019/20.

A list of proposed cuts to deliver this savings target, including the closure of the toilets, formed part a major public consultation held over recent months.

South Wales Argus:

The toilets that which will close from Monday 1st April 2019 are located at:

• Bargoed Bus Station

• Blackwood Bus Station

• Ystrad Mynach (Bedwlwyn Street)

• Caerphilly (Station Road)

• Risca (Tredegar Street)

The toilets at the Twyn in Caerphilly will remain open as they are attached to the Visitor Centre at the site.

Cllr Barbara Jones said, “Unfortunately we are now faced with making difficult and unpopular decisions due the huge pressures being placed on our budgets.

“We will continue to do all we can to protect our frontline services and protect our communities, but it is inevitable that non-statutory services like this will be impacted by the scale of the savings that we are required to deliver.”

The council is also currently consulting on a draft Local Toilet Strategy which looks at the wider provision of toilet facilities across the area.

The duty to prepare a Local Toilet Strategy does not require local authorities to provide and maintain public toilets directly.