Godstone Green toilets with legionella bacteria issues to be replaced

The public toilets are located on Godstone Green, in the Tandridge District

A toilet block with "persistent issues with legionella bacteria" will be gutted and refurbished.

The Godstone Green facilities first closed in January 2023 after incoming water tested positive for the bacteria, which can cause Legionnaires' disease.

Because the toilets are in the Godstone Conservation Area, the outside will stay the same but the inside will be stripped out and re-installed.

Tandridge District Council is investing £859,100 overall in its public toilets.

According to the NHS, you can get the serious lung infection Legionnaires' disease if you breathe in tiny droplets of water containing the bacteria.

A council spokesperson said the toilets had been closed for some time due to "persistent issues" with legionella bacteria.

While it is less common to catch it at home, it can be caught in places like hotels, hospitals or offices, or from taps and showers that are not used often.

Chair of the council's community services committee Jackie Wren said providing public toilets was not a legal requirement and she knew other councils were closing toilets to save money.

She said: "We are keen to make the district's towns and villages as attractive to visitors as possible and to boost footfall for local businesses and I hope maintaining high quality public toilets will help with that aim."

The council said work should start in mid April and take around four weeks.

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