Visitors to market towns across south Norfolk could soon be able to use new and improved public toilets as part of a project to invest £1m in better facilities.

The current toilets in Diss, Loddon, Wymondham and Harleston could be replaced by more modern lavatories, which would be more responsive to people's needs and could even notify South Norfolk Council's staff automatically when the toilet roll was running out.

The council's leader John Fuller said he had been working

with Davina Tanner, general manager at Chapelfield shopping centre in Norwich, to discover the secrets of her centre's success on the basis that south Norfolk's market towns needed to be run like shopping centres.

He learned the cleanliness of the toilets was one of the abiding memories for visitors to Chapelfield and therefore one of the key factors in being to attract shoppers back.

However, he said consultations were still taking place with parish and town council to determine their exact aspirations, which will not be decided until next

week.

'Toilets are an essential part of the shopping centre and we feel that keeping our market towns up to scratch with modern facilities that are convenient and comfortable to use and are always available when people need them is an important investment,' Mr Fuller said.

He added the exact nature of the improvements was still to be determined and there was a chance some of the older, smaller, brick built toilets may be suitable for conversion to small shops.

The £1m is set to be invested over the next 14 months in a programme of improvements which includes the toilets, but also training for shopkeepers, events to generate footfall and street scene improvements to make towns 'look a million dollars.'

What do you think of the standard of public toilets in your area? Email dominic.bareham@archant.co.uk.