Public toilets are hitting the headlines in Plymouth with one winning a top award and another being given a major facelift.
Toilets in the Drake Circus shopping centre have won the gold star standard in the Loo of the Year Awards for the fifth year in a row.
The toilets were judged on signage and décor, fixtures and fittings and overall standards of cleanliness and management.
Mike Jones, Drake Circus general manager, said: “This is great recognition for Drake Circus and all the personnel who work hard to ensure that our toilet facilities are the best in the region.
“My congratulations go to them for achieving the Five Gold Star Award for the fifth year in a row.”
Meanwhile, the city’s most popular public toilets, in Armada Way, are being treated to a £500,000 redevelopment after being visited by an estimated 10,000 people a week.
The toilets, which are mostly underground, were built in the 1950s and are set to be modernised, with ground level facilities added for the disabled and those with pushchairs.
The work will also include updating the drainage, installing modern toilets, driers and fittings. There will be CCTV, extended opening hours and a permanent member of staff on site.
Plymouth City Councillor Mike Leaves, cabinet member for street scene, waste and sustainability, said: “We wanted our most popular toilets to fit our aspirations as a city and at the moment the toilets in Armada Way do not.
“When it is completed, this project will make a significant difference to people who come into the city centre.”