Charges for a town center’s public toilets are being brought in to deter drug users and anti-social behavior.

The toilets at Moore Street in Redcar, on Teesside, are near the esplanade overlooking the beach, and are particularly well used during summer.

Following a rise in anti-social behavior and vandalism over the last few years, the Labour-run Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is installing barriers and a 30p entry charge.

Conservative councilor Carolyn Curr said the move was “not ideal” but accepted the authority needed to do something to make the toilets safe.

The council has tried other methods to control the issue, including hiring a security guard over the summer months.

But the authority’s cabinet agreed that it was not sustainable, and a more permanent and cost-effective solution was needed.

Between £30,000 to 35,000 is being spent on the new barrier system, and with about 60,000 people estimated to be using the toilets annually, it is expected to take two years for the authority to recover the money.

Curr, the leader of the council’s Conservative group, said it was important the council worked “to stop this idiotic behavior which is hard to comprehend”.

She said toilets were an “important and often undervalued public service”.

“When people are coming into the town – whether residents or tourists – it’s important they have clean and safe facilities to use,” she added.

“The cost makes this a medium-term solution and we’ll be looking to make sure it’s a worthwhile expense, that’s the caveat.”

The council said the barriers should be installed within eight weeks, and people would be able to pay via a contactless payment system.

The accessible and Changing Places toilet would remain free at the point of use, the council said, but would continue to require radar key and passcode access.