WHERE do you dash if you suddenly find yourself in need of spending a penny?

Well it's not as simple as it was a few years ago according to research published by the BBC.

Public toilet provision has been declining for a number of years and the BBC has learnt that some UK high streets and tourist hot spots now no longer have any council-run public toilets.

At least 673 public toilets across the UK have stopped being maintained by major councils since 2010, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information law. In that time, the UK's population has been increasing.

The situation is the same in Bolton, where according to the figures there are now five public toilets compared with 11 in 2010.

These are in the Crompton Place shopping centre in Bolton town centre, in Market Street, Westhoughton, Jumbles Country Park, Moses Gate Country Park and in Rivington.

The situation is not quite as bad as it sounds, however, as there are also smart new loos in the Vaults in the Market Place shopping centre, and coin-operated ones in the new Bolton Interchange.

And, according to The Bolton Council's website, various shops in the town centre are signed up to a 'toilet scheme' which means members of the public can pop in and use the facilities for free.

These include Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, Sainsburys and Bolton Market – and interestingly the website also lists Beales, which is of little help as it closed at the end of 2016.

Interestingly, one of the now long-gone public loos in the town centre was in Old Hall Street North next to Beales – when it was still Whitakers of Bolton.

The bleak doorway in the narrow street in the side of a building opposite the former shop gives a clue as to one of the reasons for the spate of closures.

It certainly doesn't look like the sort of place many people would feel safe whilst at their most vulnerable!

For councils to maintain toilets properly – and to keep them safe – costs an awful lot of money, especially at a time when cuts are the norm for local authorities.

Other loos in the town centre have gone the same way – but are in fact still there just in case the council has a change of mind.

Chains are in place in both Nelson Square and in Bridge Street near the entrance to the new Vaults area of the Market Place shopping centre where once were public toilets.

Both would potentially make interesting conversions into quirky bars or shops as has happened in other towns and cities.

It is not just the town centre where the loos have disappeared either.

The loos which stood in Bradshaw next to the entrance to Bradshaw Cricket Club were a convenient stopping off point for people returning from long treks in the country – but also sadly for attracting drug users and other undesirables, which was cited as one of the reasons for their closure a few years ago.

Can you remember anywhere else in Bolton where there used to be public toilets? Give us a call on 01204 537270 or email our newsdesk at newsdesk@theboltonnews.co.uk.