Newent Town Council has decided to shell out around £4,000 a year to keep open a set of public toilets that councillors believe are essential for tourists.

Until now, Forest of Dean District Council has been paying the town council for the cleaning of both the Lakeside public toilets and those off Watery Lane.

However, as a cost-cutting exercise, the district council announced there would be no money available to pay for the cleaning in the future.

Newent's mayor Fred Passant described the decision by the district council as disappointing. He warned that toilets had already closed elsewhere in the Forest of Dean area because of the cost-cutting move, which will take effect at the end of this financial year, just weeks away.

District council spokesman Tony Wisdom said: "We went through a best value review and it became apparent that we had a large number of public conveniences in the Forest of Dean area, and members called for savings."

A number of toilets, including the one in Watery Lane, were identified for "strategic" closure, unless the town or parish councils concerned decided to chip in to keep them clean and open.

Last week, town councillors debated the options of either closing the Watery Lane block, or the town council finding the money itself for the cleaning bill.

Coun Passant said: "We have to keep it open, really. The block is on a main tourist route to the Birds of Prey Centre and the Arboretum, and it is by the recreation ground."

Now the town council is waiting for clarification from the district council over how much the job will cost, but initial estimates point to a sum in the region of £4,000 a year.