A public toilet block in Castletown is now being ‘operated’ by the commissioners after a dispute last December over the maintenance.

The toilets on Back Hope Street were previously owned by the Department of Infrastructure however it said they were not a ‘required facility’ and opted to close it down.

The local authority has signed a 12-month licence and says it will use the time to ‘negotiate’ the transfer of them to the commissioners.

In a statement Castletown Commissioners said: ‘We would like to thank Minister Thomas for his intervention in this matter and are hopeful that the facility will be available before the first visiting coaches are due to arrive in the town on 5th March.’