AN EXTRA £116,000 will be spent across Wychavon to refurbish public toilets and install solar panels.

Wychavon District Council has agreed to spend more than just a penny on replacing outdated toilets in Pershore and Broadway this year by adding £116,000 to its public toilet refurbishment fund.

The council will also install solar panels at the locations of several public toilets in Evesham, Pershore, Droitwich and Broadway.

The £98,000 work to replace toilets in Church Walk in Pershore should start in September and finished by the end of the year pending approval of a planning application submitted in May.

The new toilets in Pershore would include several energy-efficient and water saving measures fitted to all the new facilities across Wychavon as well as new ladies and gents toilets and baby changing facilities.

Temporary toilets would be provided during the course of the works.

New energy-efficient smart toilets and taps will also be installed across the district at a cost of £46,000.

Work to refurbish toilets in Pershore High Street was finished in April last year at a cost of £47,000.

The work included new toilets, energy efficient urinals which use less water, money-saving LED lights, new water-saving and energy efficient hand dryers and taps.

The new facilities were aflush with compliments and led to the toilets winning 'best unattended toilet in the UK' at last year's Loo of the Year Awards.

Wychavon District Council entered 13 toilets in the annual competition, ten of which were graded as platinum and three as gold standard.

Solar panels have already been fitted at Viaduct Meadow in Evesham, St Andrews Square in Droitwich and are due to be installed at Church Walk in Pershore and the Milestone Ground in Broadway.

The council agreed to spend £219,000 on refurbishments in November 2017.

The extra £116,000 means the cost of refurbishing toilets across Wychavon totals £335,000.

The plan was backed unanimously by the council's executive board in June and full council last Wednesday (July 24).