WILTSHIRE Council is undertaking a review of the public conveniences service in the county.

An ominous sentence in the notices attached to the doors of the toilets in Chippenham states: ‘Wiltshire Council does not have a statutory duty to provide public conveniences in its area’.

Is this advanced warning that the toilets will be closed? In fact the toilet in the Bath Road car park has been closed for four weeks awaiting electrical work – is this a sign of things to come? Where will passengers alighting from National Express coaches go to ‘spend a penny’ if these remain closed, to say nothing of the bus drivers, general public etc that use these toilets and the ones adjacent to the precinct?

What happens when the town is swamped with folk festival-goers? The pubs and restaurants cannot be expected to cope. Maybe they could use the council loos in Monkton Park.

If the closure of the toilets happens, is it because the council needs to economise? Perhaps the extravagance of providing free wi-fi should be stopped (does the town need free wi-fi when it is already available at most coffee shops?) or, indeed, question the provision of the four town guides which, on a straight high street with no distinctive shops other than charity shops and national chain stores, does anyone really need directions?

I would hazard a guess that the most frequently asked question is for directions to the nearest toilet.

The people of Chippenham need to be aware that this is happening now. The provision and maintenance of public conveniences should be an essential part of council tax spending, for all residents and visitors.

They are certainly more use to the local population of the area than the four town guides.

HAZEL TILBURY Lowden Chippenham