AT FREEBORN, of Swannaton Road, Dartmouth, writes:

For some time I have asked the council and the parking committee to do something about a problem concerning the outside of the public toilets on Dartmouth South Embankment.

I refer to the double yellow and the cross-hatched lines in the vicinity of the toilets, which signify a total prohibition on parking, for everyone.

I did think that this was a sick joke, and wondered what highly paid traffic engineer was responsible for this ridiculous situation.

Surely the logical thing would be for one or two spaces to be available for short periods, of 10 or 15 minutes to cater for motorists wishing to avail themselves of the toilette facilities.

I recently received the following from the parking committee chairman, who had raised the question with the county officers: 'As expected, because of problems of policing of visits having to be made every 15 or 20 minutes, this was not a viable proposition and would be unworkable with present staffing levels.'

So, they are going to do nothing, not even remove the cross hatches from the double yellow lines, which should never have been there to start with.

Although I am not disabled myself, I ask what are disabled people going to do if 'taken short', or indeed any motorist in this situation?

Unless they can make it to the park and ride toilet in Townstal, or the Market Square toilets – if the square is not locked-up – the situation could be desperate. The park and ride toilets are also closed for seven months of the year.

Perhaps visiting motorists should be advised beforehand of the situation and advised to bring a suitable receptacle with them.

Why the council ever painted cross-hatched double yellow lines outside of the embankment toilets really beggars belief.