WORK to refurbish Ilkley's

central car park toilets has been delayed yet again, due to structural problems.

But cleansing bosses have promised that the town will not be left without a public loo because of work going on at the Kings Hall/Winter Gardens complex.

Contractors had promised that the £100,000 refurbishment would be completed this month but the delays mean it will not be

completed until the end of September.

People have been able to use alternative toilets at the Kings Hall but refurbishment work is also going on there too, meaning those facilities will soon have to close.

Parish Council chairman Lexa Robinson said that people had been ringing her with fears that both toilets would be closed at the same time because of the on-going work.

After speaking to cleansing bosses at City Hall, Councillor Robinson told the Gazette: "I have been reassured that the Kings Hall toilets will be kept open until the ones in the car park have been finished."

Coun Robinson said that the work to refurbish the car park

toilets had been taking too long and some people believed that it would have been quicker to have knocked them down and started from scratch.

"I have had an awful lot of phone calls with people worried that the King's Hall toilets would be closed in a week's time - there were great concerns that there would be no toilets in Ilkley," she said.

Coun Robinson said that residents had reported that no work had been going on at the car park toilets in the last couple of weeks. She said she had been told there were structural problems and delays over supplies for the new conservatory-type structure where the new attendant will sit.

"It would be an absolute disaster if we were left without any

toilets," said Coun Robinson.

Bradford Council's head of

toilets, Ilkley Parish and District Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Con) said she was fuming about the delays.

"They must already be eight weeks late from the date of the original contract - it is not acceptable and there has to be some recompense," said Coun Hawkesworth.

She added: "I haven't been notified there was going to be another time extension and I will be

looking into it straight away."