A prestige superloo has been branded a washout - by the Bradford Council department which commissioned it.

The £15,000 state-of-the-art loo - appropriately sited in Waterloo Road - was unveiled a year ago by former Bingley councillor Jim Flood and other local dignitaries.

But the Council's Graffiti Removal Manager, Keith Hammerton, says the supposedly vandal-proof convenience has, in fact, become a magnet for vandals and he'd like to pull the plug on it as soon as possible.

Mr Hammerton told a meeting of Bingley Neighbourhood Forum: "It is subject to vandalism and frequent breakdowns and I would like to say we will close it immediately but we do not have any alternative.

"I have started the process of rewiring so we can reopen the Chapel Lane toilets, do some drain repairs and redecoration. I hope we can do this within the current financial year."

But he said the Council had to bear in mind that the planned redevelopment of nearby Myrtle Precinct within the next few years was likely to involve the creation of new toilets.

A spokesman for Bradford Council's Cleansing Department said: "The superloo has been subject to vandalism. However, there are no plans to remove it until alternative facilities are provided."

Philip Smith, chairman of Better Bingley Campaign, said: "That type of portable toilet was not most people's vision of new public toilets in Bingley.

"The toilets it was supposed to replace have always been disgusting and extremely difficult to negotiate."

Former Labour councillor Jim Flood, who lost his Bingley seat at last week's Council elections, said: "I regret all memory of me in Bingley has now been flushed away."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.