PLANS to charge people to use the public toilets in a Weymouth car park have been the given the green light by councillors.

The pilot scheme, due to be introduced in the Swannery car park, will see visitors and tourists being charged 20p to use the ladies, gents and baby-changing facilities.

Borough councillors unanimously agreed to test out the scheme, which will see the installation of aluminium coin-locking doors, at a management committee meeting yesterday morning.

The plans are part of the council’s drive to reduce spending ahead of the government’s financial review.

If the scheme is a success it could be rolled out across other suitable public conveniences.

At the meeting, Coun Gill Taylor said: “It would be wonderful if we could have free public toilets but the bottom line is that if we have free toilets we will have very poor quality toilets.”

Coun Peter Chapman added: “It’s important to bear in mind that it is an experiment.

“People have raised concerns that it might be a deterrent to visitors and tourism, but the biggest deterrent is having poor facilities – people expect better facilities and quite rightly so.”

Pete Smith, the landlord of No 6 in King Street, said the move is going to ‘penalise’ tourists.

He added: “If the council are that desperate for cash, why don’t they stick a poll gate in every road into Weymouth?

“Instead of doing their job and giving us value for money, they have lost touch with everybody.”