St Ives plans public toilet charges 'for tourists only'

Visitors to St Ives will have to pay to use the toilet

Tourists will have to pay to use the public toilets at a popular seaside town in Cornwall - but residents will not - under new plans, a council says.

People who lived in St Ives would not have to pay, but visitors would be made to use a contactless payment system, St Ives Town Council said.

The council said it cost £135,000 a year to run toilets, excluding repairs.

Details of how the payments would work and when they would come in were still being finalised, the council added.

Town councillor Johnnie Wells said locals would be able to register for free to use the facilities, which include eight blocks in the council area.

The council also said residents already paid high water rates, so it did not want to ask them to pay twice.

Mr Wells said: "We are able to provide a facility where, if you are local, you can come and register with us and you will be able to get some free wees."

There are eight public toilet blocks in the St Ives area