SHOPPERS and residents have expressed their anger at the closure of town centre toilets.

The men's and women's toilets in Richmond Market Place were shut at the beginning of the month by Richmondshire District Council.

The conveniences at Earl's Orchard, Richmond, will also be locked in winter.

The closures will save the council about £30,000 a year.

However, residents angry at the loss of facilities said the axe should have fallen elsewhere.

Andrew Taylor, 85, of Coronation Place, Richmond, is vice-chairman of the town's 65 Club. He said pensioners who caught the bus in the town centre were furious at the decision.

He said: "Nobody has consulted the elderly. A lot of us take water tablets to help us go to the toilet and if you use a walking frame or walking stick you need a toilet nearby when you get off the bus."

Pensioners Betty Rutter and Vi Fawcett, of Gunnerside, Swaledale, visit Richmond once a week.

Mrs Rutter said: "I think it's disgusting what they've done.

"It will be an even bigger problem when the visitors come in the summer."

The nearest public toilets are now several hundreds yards away, in Victoria Road.

Richmond town and district councillor Stuart Parsons is calling for a rethink on the closures.

"The number of people who get off busses and attempt to get into the toilets is staggering," he said.

"Many of the elderly residents - who use the regular bus services which all stop in the Market Place - are finding the walk to and from Victoria Road very difficult and dangerous."

Coun Parsons has suggested that councillors accept a cut in their allowances to pay for the toilets to be reopened.

However, Wendy Morton, chairwoman of the council's resources committee, has defended the decision.

"Sometimes councils have to make tough decisions," she said.

"As a council, we face increasing costs, but we want to keep the council tax down.

"Central Government also gives us increasing targets to meet but decreasing money.

"I do sympathise with residents but the decision has been taken."