CHIPPENHAM’S Bath Road toilets will be demolished by Wiltshire Council, because they will cost too much to revamp.

The toilet block has been closed since April after Chippenham Town Council decided not to take over running the public conveniences.

The decision was revealed in a newsletter sent to town and parish councils by Coun Philip Whitehead, which said “work will soon begin on the demolition of the overhead canopy, public conveniences and the adjoining wall in Bath Road car park”.

It is expected the work will last four weeks but no start date has been agreed.

Coun Chris Caswill, who represents Monkton ward where the toilets are, said: “The council have said they were a bit premature at making this announcement but it’s clear their intention is to demolish it. They had a meeting on Monday with Chippenham Town Council who repeated their refusal to take it on, which is not surprising.

“In my view it is a perfectly good, solid building which is fit for purpose and I think it’s an act of civic vandalism to demolish it.

I’m still trying to find out who’s making this decision and I’m going to try and challenge it.”

Season ticket holders at Bath Road car park will be able to use the Emery Gate car park.

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “It wouldn’t be cost effective to invest in refurbishment and maintenance when there are a number of other toilets in the town that offer much better facilities.

“We are also funding an innovative scheme this year where businesses can offer toilet facilities in the centre of town and we hope this will prove successful in the longer term.

“We’ve collaborated with Chippenham Town Council and they are in agreement with the decision we’ve taken and we’ll continue to work closely with them on future provision. We are considering the future alternative uses for these buildings.”