Anyone heading for the public toilets at The Pippin recently may have been met with a locked door after the facilities were temporarily closed again following damage and vandalism.
A reader got in touch with Calne News after finding the toilets closed again and questioning why the facilities seemed to be unavailable so often.
The reader said they understood a minority of people may be responsible for vandalism but questioned whether the current arrangements were working. They added: "It's no good extolling the benefits of the town when we can't even provide the basic human welfare requirement of open and usable public toilets within the town centre for its users and visitors."
Calne Town Council said the toilets had recently been shut to allow damage to be cleared and repairs carried out.
A spokesperson said: "The Town Council understands how important it is for residents and visitors to have access to clean, safe public toilet facilities, and we share the frustration when closures occur.
"The facilities at The Pippin were temporarily closed recently to allow for damage to be cleared and essential repairs to be carried out.
"Unfortunately, a small minority of individuals do engage in vandalism and anti-social behaviour, which can make it necessary to close the toilets at short notice to ensure they remain safe and usable for the wider public."
The council said it works hard to keep the facilities open as consistently as possible, but acknowledged that closures are sometimes unavoidable while repairs are carried out.
While the latest closure has caused frustration, work is continuing on plans to improve public toilet provision elsewhere in the town.
Earlier this year, Calne Town Council allocated £110,000 from Community Infrastructure Levy funding towards new public toilets at the Recreation Ground, where there are currently no permanent publicly accessible facilities despite growing use of the site.
The project has now reached the tender stage, with the council inviting bids from both local and national companies interested in delivering the scheme.
The council is particularly keen to hear from local businesses, either through direct bids, consortium arrangements or as subcontractors working with a successful contractor.
However, the challenges do not end there. A temporary toilet installed at the Recreation Ground while permanent facilities are developed was taken out of service on Saturday after being left in what the council described as an unacceptable condition.
Additional servicing visits are now being arranged and users are being asked to leave the facility clean and tidy for others.
In the longer term, the council says it will look at options to upgrade or replace the existing toilet building at The Pippin. For now, its focus is on delivering the new facilities at the Recreation Ground.
Residents who notice damage between cleaning visits are encouraged to report it to the council.
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