ELDERLY residents were left angry after being told a toilet block in Holland-on-Sea will not be reopened as a lease for the building has already been offered to a dance school.

A bid to overturn controversial plans to close the toilet block in Ipswich Road went before Tendring Council’s cabinet on Friday.

St Bartholomew’s councillor Colin Winfield put forward a motion calling for the original decision to close the block – which was part of money-saving plans to axe ten public loos across Tendring – to be reversed.

He said nearby residents had volunteered to run the loos, which were previously branded a magnet for drug-taking and antisocial behaviour, with used needles and even mattresses being left at the scene.

Campaigners want to ensure elderly residents have access to loos while shopping in the village, following a number of “accidents”.

“Since the toilets have been closed it has been horrendous,” said Mr Winfield. “There have been people urinating around the back.

“Holland-on-Sea has a large number of elderly people and the doctor’s surgery opposite has not let residents use their toilets since the block closed.

“Ninety per cent of the shops in the village do not cater for the disabled.

“This is a case of residents not knowing what they had until they lost it. These toilets are desperately needed.”

But council officials told the cabinet meeting on Friday that a decision to lease out the block as a dance studio had already been made, although the deal had not been signed.

One volunteer who had offered to run the block was left angry by council’s decision.

He shouted out during the meeting that the council’s cabinet should “hang their heads in shame”.