A PARISH council is flushed with pride at the result of its latest project.

Public toilets in Cross Hills have been reopened following a refurbishment costing around £159,000.

Glusburn and Cross Hills Parish Council, which bought the loo block in 2018 when the former Craven District Council was disposing of it, hopes the revamp will provide residents and visitors with first-class facilities for at least the next 30 years.

The modern toilets and urinals are flushed using filtered rainwater from the building's extended flat roof, and there are solar panels to power the lights, which are controlled by motion sensor switches. The block is accessible by those with disabilities.

Parish council chair Councillor Mike Ashdown says: "Due to a lack of maintenance in previous decades, the toilets needed expensive intervention to keep them functioning at all and, despite daily cleaning, they were decidedly unpleasant to use.

"The village – with close to 2,000 households, most of whom shop from time to time at some of the village’s 40 businesses – will be much better served by this new facility.

"There are also many visitors, recreational cyclists and walking groups who stop on their way to other destinations and many school students using the village centre as well.

"As our village name suggests, many important roads meet at Cross Hills. It’s a busy place."

Investing in a modern, refurbished toilet block aligned with the needs and interests of individuals, visitors, local businesses, community groups and other village centre stakeholders, he added.

Almost half of the cost of the work was paid for thanks to a £71,000 grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, as part of its Building Pride in our Places grants programme.

The renovations started in early July and involved the partial demolition of the existing block.

The refurbished loos were officially handed over to the parish council last month with a toilet-roll cutting ceremony, instead of the traditional ribbon cutting event.

The toilets are free to use and are open every day from 7am to 8pm.

Cllr Ashdown added: "Our thanks go out to RBS Architects of Shipley, ADNC Construction (Skipton) Ltd and North Yorkshire Council (UKSPF), and of course our community for putting up with the necessary footway closures during the rebuild. We trust that the finished result delivers a much improved, more pleasant and adaptable facility for everyone, for the 30 years of its projected lifespan."