A RESTAURANT boss says her toilets have been overrun since the public toilets below it were closed.

Belinda Davies, who runs Lakeside, the restaurant at the Lake in Llandrindod Wells says visitors to the area have ignored her signs that the restaurant toilets are for customer use only.

Powys County Council closed the public toilets beneath the restaurant from Monday, October 5 because it said its budget for maintaining public toilets had been overspent.

Ms Davies, who took over the management of the cafe in May, said: "Since the public toilets have closed everyone has wanted to use my toilets. It has been just terrible and the mess they have let is disgusting and it has only been a week.

"It is costing us more money and we’re having to clean the toilets three times a day."

The restaurant boss said she only has a male, female and disabled toilet, but visitors to the area have an expectation facilities will be available.

"I got really cross with one lady who told me she could use my toilets as she had spent money in the town.

"A teacher came in and said they would have 200 children here on the weekend, and asked would they be able to use our toilets. I told her to contact Powys County Council and I believe they did open the toilets especially.

"So many children come up here with the park area and people to feed the ducks. It is just absolutely ridiculous, they have got to open them."

Ms Davies added a lack of public toilets would detract from efforts to use the Lake area as draw to attract visitor to the spa town.

Powys council had provided an earlier operator of the restaurant with a grant to maintain the public toilets but since Ms Davies took charge of running the attraction the toilets came back under the control of the council.

The authority has sought to off load its public toilets to local town and community councils as well as voluntary groups and previously warned if others were unwilling to take them on it would be forced to close toilets.

Councillor John Brunt, the cabinet member with responsibility for toilets, said budget pressures meant the council must either transfer ownership or close facilities.

He said: "I have continued to support the operation of the Lakeside toilets whilst the council sought to find a new operator for the café premises. I am aware of the ongoing discussion around the potential development of the lake area and will continue to support this. Unfortunately the budget situation is such that we can no longer afford to operate the toilets, which closed on Monday 5 October.

"In other areas, arrangements have been entered into with community interest groups as well as town and community councils. The county council would be happy to consider a proposal from any group that would maintain the operation of the facility."

Councillor Gary Price, who represents the area on Powys County Council and Llandrindod Wells Town Council, said the town council had rejected an offer to responsibility for the toilets as it was unhappy with the terms offered by the unitary authority.

The Conservative councillor urged members of the public to use the toilets at nearby County Hall. He said: "To simply close the doors without any prior notice to the public and visitors is wholly unacceptable and has quite rightly caused extreme disquiet to its users.

"This once again shows the utter contempt Powys County Council has for those that pay for its services and despite large sums of public money being spent on a feasibility for the regeneration of the Lake area Powys County Council decides to close the door of a public facility that is an essential requirement to current and any future enjoyment of the Lake.

"I would suggest that people use the toilets in County Hall as a way to protest and urge Powys County Council to open the toilets without delay."