CALLS have been made for more public toilets in a town centre to allow visitors to avoid ‘quite a walk’.

The Leader previously reported that 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.

Leader readers have had their say on the toilet facilities in Wrexham.

Ffion Swift said: “It has been a problem for some time now. I worked in the town and many people just came in to use the toilets and then when the covid situation began we had to stop that happening.

£People shouldn't need to go into business premises to use the toilets, there should be enough public ones like there used to be.

“They should put some up in the square outside the Guildhall for a start, where they used to have them years ago.

“The Bus station toilets close in the evening, I think the ones on Henblas do too, I'm guessing the same for Eagles Meadow, and during the day it’s not that simple when you have children who get desperate, or if you have personal health problems,

“In town you only have the choice between the bus station and Henblas, it's quite a walk to the Meadow.”

Gavin Cresswell said: “More public toilets need to be made available and I don’t mean ones that you have to pay for. Having somewhere to go when you need the toilet should not ever be used as an opportunity for making money.”

Heather M Alice added: “We need more public toilets, especially after the main bus station is closed. I’ve been caught many times with my kids bursting for the toilet and unable to go anywhere due to either having to pay to use the toilets or toilets not being open. We should have better access to toilets.”

However, not everyone agrees.

Ceri Jane Garrett said: “The bus station toilets by the market and then there are some by Eagles Meadow so three lots. Maybe should have put some on Island Green but other than that there are enough in the town. Have too many and then people will not look after them and they become dirty and not very clean like they did before.”

MP Sarah Atherton previously raised concerns over public urination, adding: "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."