PLANS to reopen the Bath Road public toilets have been delayed by a tarmacking error.
According to the town council, the toilet’s water point has been tarmacked over in error due to cross-wires between Wiltshire Council and Wessex Water. The town council has reported that a request to disconnect a different water point nearby was confused with the Bath Road water point.
The tarmacking blunder is another delay for the town council who originally announced its intention to reopen the public toilets on Bath Road in November 2018. The error has left Melksham Town Council staff and councillors “confused and frustrated” by the “needless additional delay”.
“It is outrageous that as we are working so hard to try and reopen these essential facilities, we see ridiculous hurdles like this cast in our way,” said Melksham’s mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard. “The water is still being charged for; the bills are still being paid - why on earth does somebody think it is a good idea to tarmac over the stop tap?”
The town council had planned to reopen the toilets this summer, instead they will provide temporary toilets at the Bath Road site, whilst the problem is rectified.
Melksham Town Council officer, Jeff Mills, said, “This error will impact our ability to open these facilities this summer as planned. The project to reopen the block will continue – and temporary toilet provision will be arranged. We share the frustration that this will cause residents.”
Access to the water point was needed to run exploratory tests, before the toilet block could be reopened.
