"RUNDOWN, dirty, litter-strewn and mouldy" – these are just some of the words used by town councillors in a report on the state of Newquay's public toilets.
The audit document, by Joan Bowden and Kevin Towill, has prompted the town council to demand Cornwall Council cleans up the conveniences before ownership is passed over.
Members agreed in March to dip into the emergency reserves cash pot to fund the management of the toilets, deemed to be a vital necessity in a tourist town.
Cash-strapped Cornwall Council, which has historically run public lavatories, had threatened to close and sell the majority.
It is estimated that it could cost up to £250,000 a year to run the nine toilets taken over by the town council, and a consultation is planned to see if Newquay taxpayers are willing to foot the bill.
The councillors' report revealed the worst toilets were on East Street, where the appearance of the building was rated just one out of ten, with 'cleanliness and hygiene' graded one out of ten in the gents' and two in the ladies'.
The report states: "There is a very unpleasant smell when you enter the gents'. There are pools of urine on the floor, green and yellow slime in the stainless steel wash basins and accumulated piles of rubbish in the closed cubicles. There are dirty floors in the ladies', mouldy walls, filthy toilets and there's a squalid baby-changing area."
Other toilets were slammed for having no soap, dead flies in light fittings, litter strewn around and obscene graffiti, among other criticisms.
The best rated were Narrowcliff and Watergate Bay, which scored between eight and ten.
Mr Towill and Mrs Bowden concluded: "It is obvious that the majority of public conveniences have not received meaningful investment for some years, if not decades."
Town clerk Andrew Curtis said the council's solicitors were "working hard to address the inherited problems from Cornwall Council" before the toilets were transferred.
He said improvement works were set to be carried out at the end of the summer season, and town councillors were pushing for "more immediate remedial works".
Andy Hannan, chair of the Economic Development and General Purposes (EDGP) Committee, which is overseeing the transfer, said: "We have stepped in and rescued as many toilets as possible following Cornwall Council's decision to stop providing toilet provision for the town. We are now working hard to make sure that the current toilets are kept as clean as possible prior to them being refurbished in the autumn.
"Once again the town council has been quick to act to secure this vital service and protect it for the benefit of our residents and visitors."
Cornwall Council remains responsible for toilets at Newquay Harbour, Chester Road and Little Fistral.
