IT’S with a degree of satisfaction I read of the temporary demise of Stroud’s tribute to poor taste, I refer to the urine-encrusted icon that manifests its presence like a creature of the night under a cloak of darkness.

The need for such a facility was always questionable as every bar and cafe in town have more than adequate facilities to cater to the needs of the male population however it does highlight a trend in the lowering of personal standards when urinating against walls and doorways is the rule rather than the exception but so long as the constabulary appear to turn a blind eye and the council pander to this anti-social behaviour it will continue.

We see maintenance costs of £2,000 per annum which appears by today’s prices to just cover the call out fee on top of the £45,000 purchase price. Is it not time we see an end to this cavalier squandering of public resources and a further spiral downwards of personal standards?

As for the claim that local businesses welcome this eyesore, I find questionable and is only an excuse for a 10-year mistake.

Francis Ray

Stroud