Sir,-Reference the article on April 18th about 'Lack of toilet facilities' in the borough. This is due not to what Cllr Elengorn says, but to him and his previous Lib Dem council.

They first closed toilets in Richmond town centre and put a garden type area there, then the waterside toilets (excuse pun) at the bottom of Water Lane, Twickenham were closed owing to 'gays', paedophiles etc using them, then finishing off with Teddington Broad Street toilets on the rail bridge, saying they were being vandalised.

They were locked and it upset local people, and they were eventually vandalised by yobs.

All these toilets could still be in operation if the Lib Dem council had not closed them down to, so they said at the time, 'cut costs'.

When the toilets each had a full-time person in attendance to keep them clean and tidy, they saw no vandals or drunks causing damage. The Lib Dems are responsible for all this, by sacking the attendants.

Yet they have wasted millions of pounds on road humps, narrowing main roads and corners of roads, and putting up stupid posts and stupid traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and islands.

This gave no saving in accidents etc, but caused at least double the pollution now than we had before, as at peak hours in the morning and evening traffic is backed up from Hampton High Street, Teddington Hospital junction, and Waldegrave Road as far as St Mary's College, and from Kingston Road and Broom Road into Teddington.

Don't blame the present council as these were contracted when Lib Dems were in. Disgusted.-Reg Vine, Waldegrave Road, Teddington.

April 30, 2003 15:30