BUDGET cuts mean councils are under pressure to save every penny, and on the Isle of Wight that means fewer places to spend one.

The Island has lost 28 per cent its public toilets since 2000, according to newly-released figures.

Data obtained by the British Toilet Association through a Freedom of Information request shows there are 53 council-operated toilets, down from 74 two decades ago.

However, since 2010, the majority of public toilets have been handed over to town and parish councils resulting in just four closures since that time, according to the Isle of Wight Council.

A spokesperson said: "The council agreed all toilets that are not to be managed by town and parish councils from April 1 2016 were to be closed.

"To date almost all have been transferred and are still operation with some being upgraded, such as those at Shanklin and Falcon Cross. 

"As public toilets are not a statutory responsibility, these savings since 2010 have helped the council meet its budgetary challenges. "

Meanwhile, the association has started a campaign called Use Our Loos to encourage businesses to open their toilets to non-customers and make it visible by having a sticker on display.

The director of the organisation Raymond Martin said: “We know councils are under immense pressure with their budgets and despite having no legal obligation to maintain these public facilities, they have continued to try to reverse the rate of decline.

"They are constantly looking at alternative ideas, such as individual Community Toilet Schemes, to provide reasonable provision for their communities. Use our Loos is a community-oriented solution not about opening more toilets but making more toilets that already exist accessible to the public.”

On the Isle of Wight, there is one public convenience for every 2,660 residents, compared to one for 10,930 people in the UK.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Councils are doing everything they can to keep public toilets open and ensure there is provision for people with particular needs.

"With substantial reductions to their budgets, councils have had to make tough choices about public facilities but are finding innovative ways of tackling this issue.”

Charities fighting for elderly people's rights have denounced the impact of the lack of free toilets.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director for Age UK, said: “A lack of public toilets affects everyone but for many older people knowing there’s a decent public convenience freely available for all enables them to get out and about with confidence, without fear of being caught short or drawing attention to themselves.

"We know some older people with health conditions choose to stay indoors rather than taking a chance on being able to find a toilet if they need one, so public toilets really do make a big difference to their quality of life.”