Visitors and locals looking to “spend a penny” at public toilets in Inveraray are being asked to spend 50 of them - then not being allowed into the loos.
A fault in the new pay lock system was taking people’s money, while not granting access to the “conveniences”.
Peter Bates, who lives in Tarbert, encountered the fault at the weekend and vented his frustration online.
He visited on Sunday afternoon when he ended up spending a pound and was still unable to use the facility. The system has now been deactivated until it can be fixed.
Peter, who has emailed Argyll and Bute Council requesting a refund, spoke to us about his disgust with the situation.
He said: “It is disgraceful to charge. We pay enough in rates to cover the odd visit to the loo whilst out and about.
“Folk will only go behind bushes. This fee on top of what someone may have already paid to park in Inveraray makes it a very expensive travel stop.
“The toilets are not the best and need upgrading, ones elsewhere or abroad are far superior. How long before all Argyll and Bute toilets are pay to pee?
“There is a turnstile pay facility at Tarbert which is also out of action, I understand due to a part needing replaced.”
Peter added: “I believe Argyll and Bute Council are trialling the new pay system in high use blocks prior to fitting the new payment system to public toilets right across the district.
“A visitor tax is being passed through the Scottish Government currently, goodness knows when councils and Holyrood will stop bleeding us all dry.
“If they could work out a way to tax the air we breathe they would do that too.”
The fault has been being discussed on several online forums. One user warned people not to use the Inveraray toilets and wrote: “It’s taking your money but door seems to be locked and there’s no attendant present.”
Many people commented on the poor condition of the toilets and were shocked that a charge was being attached to their use.
The cash-strapped council is due to set its annual budget today (Thursday), when a rise in Council Tax of at least six per cent is being proposed.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “Charges of 50p were introduced at high-use public conveniences (including Inveraray) to offset some of the costs of providing almost 60 facilities across Argyll and Bute. Sadly, there have been some issues with the system since it went live at the start of the month.
“We have instructed our contractors to repair the fault in Inveraray and also asked them to tell us how they intend to refund those people who paid but were unable to access the facilities over the weekend. The system has been deactivated until it can be repaired.”
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