MORE than 500 people have  now signed up to a campaign  demanding that the city  council make a U-turn and  call off plans to shut more  than a third of Exeter’s toilets.

Since the launch of the  Save Our Toilets campaign  in  the Echo just over a week  ago, the postbags have been  full to bursting every day as  public outrage grows over  the decision.

An overwhelming 507  coupons have been cut out of  the paper and returned to  our offices by people  “strongly opposed” to the  proposal to shut 10 of the  city’s 26 council-run toilets,  with more arriving by the  day.

 The first 364 were presented to council leader Adrian  Fullam ahead of an executive meeting last Tuesday.  Despite this the committee  voted in favour of including  the cuts in its budget, which  is due to go forward to full  council for ratification at a  meeting later this month.

The remaining hundreds  will also be hand-delivered  to Cllr Fullam ahead of the  next executive meeting on  Tuesday, February 9, when  the committee will have the  power to propose an alternative budget. One proposal,  to apply a small increase in  car parking charges, which  would replace the £60,000 estimated savings from the toilet closure plan, has already  been put forward by the  Labour group.

Among those to have  added their weight to the  campaign is Nora Goodwin,  84, of Wonford, who said: “It  is ridiculous. I was at bingo  this week with a group of old  age pensioners. There are a  lot of disabled people there  who have a special key but  still think they will be able to  use the facilities when they  close. They don’t seem to  understand that they won’t  be able to.

“The closure of the ones in  Blackboy Road worries me  greatly. Where are all the  football supporters supposed  to go? The people in that  meeting have no consideration for people who need to  use toilets regularly. The situation does not even bear  thinking about.”

Brian Short, 68, of Exeter,  who said: “Reading the Echo  lately and seeing some harebrained schemes to save  money makes me wonder  who dreams up these ideas. I  am very concerned about the  consequences.”