THE region's dirty public toilets are a disgrace, a survey has found.

A poll of toilet-users found many conveniences in the North-East and North Yorkshire were dirty and run-down.

The research by the National Consumer Council (NCC) also revealed that more toilets are needed, particularly for women and children.

In North Yorkshire, 77 per cent of people surveyed said their public toilets were a national disgrace, while in the North-East, 67 per cent felt the same way.

The results come at a time when many public conveniences in the region are being closed.

Last month, toilets in the market place in Richmond, North Yorkshire, were shut by the district council to save money.

The men's public toilets in Millgate, Thirsk, have also closed recently, amid claims they were being used as a meeting place by homosexuals. In County Dur-ham, toilets in the centre of Barnard Castle were closed last year, only to be reopened a month later after a campaign by community leaders.

Russell Lord, a Richmond town councillor, is working on a plan with colleagues to reopen the toilets in his town.

He said: "My understanding is councils have no legal obligation to keep open and maintain public toilets.

"And often, the money for conveniences will be spent on other things. I believe they should be kept open despite the cost, as a service to the public."

The NCC is calling for free toilets in stations, shopping centres, busy high streets and play areas.

Deputy chief executive Philip Cullum said: "All around the country, people enjoying their bank holiday weekend will find public toilets closed or in an appalling state. The dramatic decline of this most basic public service has to be reversed."

Nationally, cleanliness was named the number one problem in a poll of 2,000 adults.

Other concerns were the safety of council-run toilets, followed by the need for them to be in better locations.

People also want toilets to be open longer, the survey found.

The interviewees resented having to pay to use facilities, with 90 per cent saying that facilities should be free in places such as train stations and shopping centres.