The work is due to be completed in the next four to six weeks so that the toilets will be open by the start of November.

When the new toilets open they will be barrier operated and users will have to pay a nominal charge of 20p. The new barrier system will mean that pushchairs can no longer be taken into the toilets however, the disabled toilets will be unchanged and will remain free to use.

Kevin Smith, Manager of the Centre, commented: “I’m delighted to announce our plans to re-open the toilets. We’ve been working hard on a solution for a long time now and it’s great to have finally overcome all of the hurdles that we’ve faced.

“We were forced to close the toilets following a string of incidents and anti-social behaviour that unfortunately meant that our shoppers’ safety was put at risk. We hope that the new pay on entry system will resolve this issue and deter the antisocial behaviour. The new system has been installed with our shoppers’ best interests in mind”.

The Horsefair Shopping Centre toilets will soon re-open and will have a pay on entry barrier system to improve shopper safety.