A POTENTIAL disaster could turn to success for a moorland community.

In a new initiative, parish councillors in Danby could take on the care of closure-threatened public toilets as a way of boosting a village caretaker scheme.

Members of the council have been asked to be ready to attend a special meeting this week at which the idea could be thrashed out.

At last week's meeting of Danby Parish Council, chairman, Coun Herbert Tindall, said Scarborough Borough Council had deferred a decision on controversial plans to close toilets in the Esk Valley. The plans sparked a huge outcry of protest, with campaigners arguing the move would be a blow to tourism.

Coun Tindall said Scarborough wanted to consult parish councils on an offer to enable them to take over public conveniences in return for cash help.

The borough wants to close lavatories in places such as Westerdale, Commondale, Danby and Egton. Under the new scheme, parishes would be paid for cleaning each toilet, with the borough still responsible for repairs, insurance and maintenance.

Coun Tindall suggested including Castleton and Danby with Westerdale and Commondale to create a daily job.

"We could take on Commondale and Westerdale in return for no more talk of them being closed," he said. "With cash for all four we could pay for help for the village caretaker."

The village caretaker scheme is already the subject of funding scrutiny and Coun Rita Rudland warned: "If we don't get moving on extending the caretaker project, we are going to lose it."

If the idea works, community caretaker Simon Taylor could take on extra help with cash from Scarborough.