New 24-Hour Toilets Opened in Lurke Street Car Park

New 24-hour toilets have been opened at Lurke Street bringing the total of Bedford Borough Council-operated toilets to seven in the town centre alone, as well as having 12 partners in the Community Toilet Scheme which launched in April 2013.

This means there are now more toilet facilities available in Bedford Town Centre than ever before. The opening of the toilets will complement Lurke Street Car Park which has moved to 24-hour opening since May this year.

Lib Dem Cllr Charles Royden, the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, said: "We made a commitment after the old toilets at Lurke Street closed that we would open a brand new 24-hour facility and these toilets are a stunning improvement to the old facilities, which understandably were avoided by the public and had extremely low use. Access to the new toilets has 24-hour monitoring by CCTV meaning that these toilets will be very safe.

"There are now more toilets than ever before open to the public to use free of charge. The Community Toilet Scheme is going from strength to strength and the refurbishment of our council facilities shows our commitment to providing these public facilities which is important for local businesses."

Along with the new toilets in the Lurke Street Car Park, other Council-operated facilities around Bedford are in Allhallows (the first part of the regeneration of Bedford Bus Station); St Paul's and Mayes Yard; Bedford Library; the Council's Customer Service Centre; Higgins Art Gallery; and Russell Park Kiosk.

There are also four Automatic Public Conveniences (APCs), which charge 20p, located on The Broadway; St Peter's; Melbourne Street and Russell Park, as well as a 'Changing Places' toilet facility solely for disabled users in River Street. Further details on all the above can be found here: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/transport_and_streets/street_care__cleaning/public_toilets.aspx

The Community Toilet Scheme covers the main shopping area in Bedford and significantly increases the number of toilets available for public use. There are now a dozen partners in this scheme - The Fountain, Community Hub; Café Portioli; Beales; Number 13 - Corn Exchange & Events; McDonald's; Bluberi; The Pilgrim's Progress; The Banker's Draft; Burger King; Café Crema; Coffee With Art; and The Executive Snooker Club. Full details can be found here: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/transport_and_streets/street_care__cleaning/public_toilets/community_toilet_scheme.aspx