Charge to be introduced at refurbished West Bromwich Indoor Market toilets
Shoppers and traders at a Black Country market will be charged to use brand new toilet facilities, under £70,000 refurbishment plans.
Work is now underway on the ladies, gents and disabled loos at West Browmich Market, with a charge of 20p set to be introduced when complete later this summer.
Bosses say that the charge will be to keep the new facilities clean, tidy and secure.
Baby changing facilities will also be available in the toilets alongside a brand new baby changing and feeding room.
The toilets are currently closed while the work is being done - the nearest toilets in the bus station are just a few minute's walk away.
They will have a gate system which will let users through once they’ve paid the fee.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member, Councillor David Hosell, said: “We know people want decent facilities to use while they are out shopping. We’re creating modern, safe facilities plus we’ll have a brand new comfortable baby changing and feeding room.
“We’ve decided to make the 20p charge for the new toilets to make sure we can keep them clean and safe for everyone.
“Towns and cities across the UK have had to close down public toilets due to the way they have been misused and because of the huge cost of cleaning and maintaining them.
“By making a small charge, we can keep these toilets hygienic and safe for everyone by employing a toilet attendant. Queen's Square Shopping Centre toilets also charge 20p so we've kept the price in line with that.”
The charge will fund the cleaning of the toilets, plus a full-time toilet attendant who will be on hand to manage and clean the facilities.
There will be no charge to use the baby changing and feeding room, and disabled people who are members of the National Key Scheme (formerly the RADAR key scheme) can also use the facilities free of charge.
The market situated in Kings Square Shopping Centre has more than 120,000 visitors a week.
There are 65 stalls in the main hall and a further 12 stalls in a dedicated food hall.
In 2015 a new entrance was added in a bid to attract more visitors and give a fresh outlook.
Since then West Bromwich Business Improvement District (BID) group have also joined forces with the shopping centre to hold several events.
