20p to spend a penny at shopping centre again as council unveils new system

FREE public toilets are a thing of the past for shoppers at a town’s main shopping centre.

- By JOSEPH CONNOLLY

They have been able to spend a penny free at Mansfield’s Four Seasons shopping centre for three months because of a system fault.

But Mansfield District Council has announced that the barriers in front of the toilets are now shut again and a 20p charge has been reinstated.

A fault with the paddle gates, meant to automatically opened on payment, forced the council to recommission the toilets.

A contactless payment option has also been introduced for those not carrying cash.

But David and Gloria Williams, from Edwinstowe, think they should be kept free.

“I'm 76 years old now,” said David. “I can remember when everything was free. Now they don't like people doing anything for free. But if we've got to pay to keep them clean, I guess we have to.”

“You might as well nip into a pub,” says Gloria, 72.

“It's ridiculous how many are closing. They wonder why people go in the street.”