CONCERNS have been raised over town centre facilities which is leading to anti-social behaviour and 'public urination'.

The Leader previously reported that as restrictions begin to ease, traders are able to welcome back customers after months of being apart, but it is not all good news.

Traders at the Central Arcade in Wrexham have been dealing with attempted break-ins, drug paraphernalia and people using store entrances as a toilet.

As a result, MP Sarah Atherton went for a walk in the town centre to meet with traders and discuss their concerns of public urination.

She then went down to the Hafan Y Dref toilets and found that all of the entry machines were blocked, meaning the doors could not be opened.

She said she understands the previous issues of ASB behaviour and rising complaints might have made it difficult to operate the toilets safely and to a standard that the public want, but the council must 'take ownership' and listen to concerns.

She said: "Having met with traders and businesses last week, it is clear that there are still concerns about some of the Council’s town centre facilities, including the toilets on Town Hill.

"I have, once again, raised these concerns with the Council and I will continue to work with them – and other key authorities across the town centre – to make sure the frustrations of traders and businesses are heard.

"As I have said before, it is important the Council and other stakeholders work with town centre traders and listen to these issues to make our high street as welcoming and inviting as possible for all."

The Council closed the Hafan-Y-Dref (Town Hill) toilets in 2017 due to continuous anti-social behaviour (ASB) and overwhelming complaints from the public.

However, since then, the Council gave permission for ‘The Parish’ pub next door to use the toilets to support their outdoor service under the Covid-19 restrictions, this means the pub has responsibility for the toilets, which are open during opening hours.

A spokesman for Wrexham Council said: "We focused our efforts on the refurbished Henblas Street toilets in the centre of the town, which is staffed whist open and this deters ASB.

"Recently, the Council gave permission for 'The Parish' public house to operate and use the Hafan-Y-Dref toilets during its opening hours, to enable the business to have an outdoor service in response to the Covid-19 restrictions.

"This has allowed the public and customers to use the facilities, bringing them back into use.

"When the pub is not open, there is no access to these toilets.

"The Council has also visited the pubs in the area, asking them to remind their customers that they should be using the toilet facilities on the premises.

"The Council’s Town Centre Management Team has done a considerable amount of work over the years to address the ASB issues, working in collaboration with the police, CCTV, Town Centre Wardens and PCSO’s."