TEDDY the guide dog no longer has to go out to spend a penny when he accompanies his owner, Roy Almond, to Bolton College.

The college has provided him and his fellow guide dogs with their own customer designed loo at the Manchester Road Campus.

The news comes just weeks after Bolton council controversially closed public loos for humans in Bridge Street.

At the time BEN's leader column slammed the move and called for more, not less, toilets in the town centre. Readers backed the BEN's call and local MP David Young warned that the closure could hit the town's economy. The dog toilets - which are not being paid for by the council - are part of the college's £200,000 programme to upgrade toilet facilities for everyone who uses the college...including our four legged friends.

The open air dog loo features its own flush and sluice system and is believed to be the only provision of its kind outside guide dog training centres.

Teddy, aged four, is one of about a dozen guide dogs who attend Bolton College.

His owner Roy is currently studying RSA Grade II Word-processing and GCSE maths and spends on average three days a week at the college.

Roy gets extra support, help and access to specialist equipment through the college's Visually Impaired Support Unit (VISU) which over the years has developed an excellent reputation both regionally and nationally.

Tutor Linda Owens said: "Students with guide dogs can now spend full days at the college.

"Before the dog loo was installed many went home at lunch time because there was nowhere to take their dogs."

And chairman of governors, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: "Bolton College prides itself on catering for everyone's needs.

"I am delighted to be able to say that this even extends to dogs. Though some of the older dogs were hesitant at first in using this new facility, I am pleased to say that it has now won their general approval and their owners are now able to spend more time at Bolton college concentrating on their studies." Allan Horsfall who heads the pressure group Convenience, said: "It's nice to know that Bolton college takes the need for toilets seriously.

"If Bolton council was as attentive to the needs of people and dogs as the college is we would not be in the mess we are now in the town centre."

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