Cornwall tourists will have to pay to use St Ives loos - but locals won't have to spend a penny

Visitors to St Ives will have to pay if they want to use public toilets - but they will remain free for locals.

The loos in the popular holiday destination have been free to use for years but cost the town council thousands of pounds a year to run.

From summer this year, a fee will be introduced at all eight of the public toilets owned by St Ives Town Council.

While tourists will have to pay the fee, locals will not have to spend a penny.

Those with a primary residence in the town who pay council tax in St Ives will get to use the toilets for free.

The town council are still finalising the details, but expect to use a contactless payment system for the toilets.

It is also looking at ways to ensure second home owners or holiday let users cannot use their temporary St Ives address or share any access codes with their Airbnb customers, so public toilets are only genuinely free for locals.

Town clerk Louise Dwelly said: "We will be giving residents a card or code to use on their phone so when they use the public toilets it will be free.

"Visitors will have to pay and will be able to use their phone or credit card to do so.

“It’s nothing new. In other towns in Cornwall you have to pay to use the public toilets.

"But with the number of visitors we receive every year we think our public toilets should pay for themselves without our residents being penalised. What’s new is the contactless payment facility.”Mrs Dwelly said the scheme will be trialled at two of the toilet sites, including those at the Sloop car park, with the others being rolled out later this year.