THERE are now only four public toilets in Purbeck, according to the British Toilet Association.

The district has lost 80 per cent of its public toilets since 2000, 16 loos in total.

The association, which obtained the figures via a Freedom of Information request, has started a campaign called Use Our Loos to encourage businesses to open their toilets to non-customers and make it visible by having a sticker on display.

Director Raymond Martin,said: “We know that councils are under immense pressure with their budgets and despite having no legal obligation to maintain these public facilities, they have continued to try to reverse the rate of decline.

"Use our Loos is a community-oriented solution not about opening more toilets but making more toilets that already exist accessible to the public."

Across the UK, at least 1,541 of these conveniences were closed over the period – a drop of 39 per cent. The figure could be even bigger as many authorities did not reply to the query.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director for Age UK said: "A lack of public toilets affects everyone but for many older people knowing there’s a decent public convenience freely available for all enables them to get out and about with confidence, without fear of being caught short or drawing attention to themselves.

"We know that some older people with health conditions choose to stay indoors rather than taking a chance on being able to find a toilet if they need one, so public toilets really do make a big difference to their quality of life."