A friend visited North Wales last week on a holiday visit and in a tea shop he met a coach driver who was touring Wales with 49 tourists.

When he told him he was from Minehead the coach driver said he knew it well as he used to visit Minehead about 20 times a year. However, his company have deleted Minehead from their itinerary because there are no toilets anywhere near the coach park.

On Monday, I visited the new expensive coach park mid-morning and revisited again mid-afternoon and on both occasions it was totally empty.

Based on a six-month period this would result in 40,000 less visitors.

Does everyone not feel as ashamed as I do at this situation and think that before thousands are spent renovating the Victorian shelters, the money would be better spent on a really nice block of public conveniences somewhere near the coach park?

The council may offer a balanced budget but not in the case of tourism - it’s spiralling downward.

John Arkell, Minehead.