MINEHEAD Town Council has taken over the seafront public toilets at Warren Road, closed by West Somerset Council on April 1, and will run them for six months during the holiday season, it was announced yesterday (Thursday).

The facility will be open for the bank holiday weekend.

The town council has already taken over toilets in Blenheim Gardens, Quay West and Summerland Road.

But it had declined to take on the Warren Road facility, which was on land subject to covenants owned by Butlin’s which, it was thought, would cause ownership complications.

The Carousel toilets, said to be dangerous and in a bad state of repair, had also been closed.

The only remaining public toilet on the central seafront was in the Jubilee Gardens Café, available from February to November, for a 20p charge.

A town council spokesman said: “We are delighted to be able to open these toilets for the people when they are most needed.

“It was not possible for us to take them over permanently, but when the opportunity for a six-month licence came up, we were very happy to take it.”