EIGHT public toilets across the Ribble Valley are set to be closed as part of a £645,000 savings plan.

Council bosses said they want to axe eight loos, many of which are under-used or in a poor condition.

In most of the places affected, people will be directed to one of 35 premises which have made their facilities available under a Community Toilet Scheme.

But in some rural villages alternative arrangements have not been made, and in others the community toilets will not be available around-the-clock.

Ramblers, who regularly use public conveniences, sometimes to change their clothes, said the closures would be a ‘big loss’ and a ‘body blow’ to tourism.

Justifying the action, town hall chiefs said the continued operation of all 24 sets of public toilets was not ‘financially sustainable’.

In Clitheroe, the Ribble Valley’s largest town, Brungerley Toilets, which are deemed ‘poor’, will be closed, with people directed to use facilities at the cemetery as an alternative.

The Woone Lane conveniences, also earmarked for the axe, are said to be badly in need of a rebuild.

The proposals will see toilets closed in Berry Lane and Market Place, Longridge, where five businesses, including the library and three cafes, have volunteered their facilities.

Public conveniences will also close in more outlying villages like Gisburn, Mellor, Newton and Waddington.

In Gisburn people will be able to use toilets at the Texaco garage when it is open. Similarly, pubs and a cafe in Waddington have made their facilities available, but only during hours of business.

No alternative arrangements have been made for when the axe falls on the toilet blocks in Newton and Mellor.

Ben Brown, secretary of Clitheroe Ramblers, said: “I do think they will be a big loss.

“It may be all right for people to go in pubs if they’re open, but I’m not sure if the general public is aware they can do that.”

Mike Counter, chairman of the North East Lancashire Ramblers’ Association, said: “We do use public toilets, so they will be a loss.”

Clitheroe Town Council has offered to pay £3,000 to ensure all the town centre facilities remain intact.

Representatives of parish councils in the areas affected are also in discussions with Ribble Valley Council over the plans.

Coun Alan Yearing said: “Like every other local authority, we have got to look at ways to make savings, and this was one area where we felt it would be possible to do that without causing major inconvenience.”