A COUNCIL has been accused of "bully-boy tactics" after closing North York Moors public toilets.

Scarborough Council boarded up the toilets at Commondale and Westerdale without warning last week, angering local people.

Danby Group Parish Council had been negotiating with Scarborough to take over the toilets and members could not understand why they had been boarded up without the council being informed.

Now, Scarborough Council has written to the parish council, saying it will re-open the toilets if the parish council accepts its offer and co-operates to secure a speedy transfer of the toilets.

Pam Reeves, clerk to the parish council said: "These are bully-boy tactics. We have never said we won't take them over."

The parish council will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the matter tonight.

Members are unhappy that the toilets were closed in the first place, because as far as they were concerned they were in negotiations with the borough council, exploring the legal side of the deal.

Chairman of the parish council, Coun Herbert Tindall, said: "We thought we were in negotiations with the borough council. We still haven't had a response to a letter we sent them in January about the toilets.

"They say they will open the toilets as soon as we give them written confirmation that we will agree to take the toilets over and agree to start the paper work.

"When we do the final negotiations we can have a look at the deeds and if we aren't satisfied we can pull out at any stage."

The toilets were earmarked for closure as part of cost-cutting by the borough council.

Local people have insisted they stay open, as they are the only facilities available to walkers, cyclists and tourists for miles.

Scarborough Borough Council's principal environmental health officer, Steve Reynolds, said: "All the borough council wishes at this time is for a firm commitment from the parish council that it is prepared to take over the operation of these two small facilities.

"Then we will continue to maintain the facilities until they are officially transferred.