Prize-winning loos go down the pan

TATTY" plastic flowers, cartoons and pictures of John Wayne, Jill Dando and Cliff Richard are among the decorations which have been stripped out of public loos in Weston.North Somerset Council has ordered shocked attendants to remove colourful items which have brightened up toilets on the seafront and Grove Park for years.The order came after a potential new loo maintenance subcontractor said the decorations were tacky.Phillipa Rice, a Grove Park loo attendant, said: "If anyone brought us pictures we would put them up. We've ruined most of them pulling them down, including awards we had won."A subcontractor came round and said the decorations looked tatty, so we've had to take them down. We agreed some should be removed, but not all of them."People have been complaining about it, saying they shouldn't have made us do it. It's not right."The decorations have helped us win awards. Every year we get five stars in a Loo of the Year competition. The lady I work with, Pat, spent a lot of time and money getting the toilets to such a standard and we all take pride in them."It was nice to see children saying 'look, there's butterflies on the lights' and recognising cartoon characters which were on display. We've ripped out things that can't be replaced."Andrea Thomas, a 40-year-old sales assistant visiting Weston from Cardiff, said: "I'm really shocked. I thought the toilets had been burgled or something."A council spokesman said: "It is important that our toilets are clean and hygienic, and whilst it may be pleasant to have objects that give a homely feel it is important that our toilets are tidy and that there is no clutter. "We are working with our contractors who clean the toilets to present an appropriate image for our award-winning toilets. The attendants have been asked to ensure anything that is put out in the toilets is in keeping with this image and to ensure all visitors to our toilets have a pleasant experience.