PUBLIC toilets at Royston bus station will be closed at the end of the month. The decision has come because North Herts District Council has been unable to finalise an agreement over the running of the toilets. It was hoped that taxi company Meltax woul

PUBLIC toilets at Royston bus station will be closed at the end of the month.

The decision has come because North Herts District Council has been unable to "finalise an agreement" over the running of the toilets.

It was hoped that taxi company Meltax would take on responsibility for the running of the toilets.

But although the toilets will close on May 31 there is still hope that a "deal" could be reached between the district council and Meltax.

Vaughan Watson, head of the district council's leisure and environmental services, said: "We hope the toilets will be open soon under the management of the taxi company," he said.

The move to close the toilets was part of the district council's £170,000 improvement scheme of toilets in Market Hill and at The Cross.

The toilets at Market Hill were recently opened after work saw them become compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Other work on upgrading the toilets at The Cross was carried out.

When it was originally announced in October 2006 that the toilets at the bus station would be closed there was a protest led by veteran campaigner Terry Hutt.

He said at the time that the toilets should remain open because of their location at the bus station.

And in giving him support, Cllr Fiona Hill, chairman of the district council's Royston area committee, said: "Public toilets at a bus station are surely vital. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.