WHAT do you think of having CCTV to monitor the use of Felixstowe's infamous Bath Tap toilets?Council chiefs says it's a no-go, though they admit spending £2,000 on the loos in the past two years – dealing with locks superglued to prevent them being closed at night.

WHAT do you think of having CCTV to monitor the use of Felixstowe's infamous Bath Tap toilets?

Council chiefs says it's a no-go, though they admit spending £2,000 on the loos in the past two years – dealing with locks superglued to prevent them being closed at night.

Suffolk Coastal District Council has issued this statement:

"The Evening Star's campaign about Bath Tap toilets has highlighted the problems at Bath Tap, but its principle solution of providing CCTV cameras is one that needs careful thought.

Readers may wonder if they would feel happy with a camera in every cubicle which would presumably be the only way of preventing the problem.

However, what the Star is asking for is video surveillance of users of the toilets and Home Office funding for CCTV systems is not available for surveillance, only monitoring. Surveillance is an issue that needs to be addressed to the police, rather than the district council.

It is extremely unlikely that the Home Office would ever back a CCTV system at Bath Tap at any stage, particularly as the block is due to be closed for refurbishment in a few months time anyway and because there needs to be serious crime figures to justify the expenditure.

As the Star has reported, the police say they have not received any recent reports of problems at the toilets.

Both the Council and the police do monitor the site and have taken action when necessary in the past, and will continue to do so in the future.

Suffolk Coastal's five-year improvement plan of its toilet blocks across the district is proof of our commitment. Works will start later this year to convert Bath Tap into the new style toilets that have proved so successful in combating vandalism and other anti social behaviour.

In the last two years over £2,000 has been spent at Bath Tap because of vandalism, which has included the super-glueing of the main locks, which causes difficulties in ensuring that the toilets are locked. These were last replaced in February, and have unfortunately recently been vandalised again.

Alternative locks have just been installed and the Bath Tap toilets and they were locked again tonight.

The toilets are visited regularly by council staff, including cleaners and inspectors, and we will talk with the police to see if we need to increase our frequency of visits.

We routinely liaise with the police to share information about our public toilets – this helps us identify any problems that need resolving. There is no complacency about Bath Tap but we would reiterate the police advice that if anyone sees someone acting suspiciously they should report it immediately.

The only real solution is for the council, the police and the public to work together."