A SET of public toilets in Ilkley, dubbed the most vandalised in the district, have been closed once again after an arson attack on Monday (October 29) night.

The men's loos, at the Riverside Gardens, were broken into and filled with rubbish which was then set alight. Both the men's and women's toilets are now shut because of damage caused to plumbing by the fire.

Keith Hammerton, graffiti removal manager for Bradford Council, said: "They broke down the doors to the WC cubicles and put a lot of rubbish inside, including tyres, and torched it.

"There's not a lot to damage inside the toilets but it's burnt up the door frames and there's a lot of smoke damage. It's also affected the plumbing."

He said the fire had caused plastic pipes - installed to deter thieves from stealing copper piping - to expand and burst, meaning the water supply for the whole building had to be turned off.

"Hopefully plumbing work will be done fairly shortly and we can reopen the ladies," he said. "But as far as the men's are concerned they need a good clean out and that won't be started until at least November 12."

He added it was likely that the men's toilets would reopen with just a urinal and the two cubicles would be bricked up.

Monday night's fire is the latest in a long line of attacks on the toilets. Last week, a report by Bradford Council's internal best value team described them as the most vandalised in the whole district.

The toilet block's notoriety as a hotspot for homosexual activity is believed to be the motivation behind the attacks. The loos were shut after concrete was poured down a toilet bowl and were re-opened in September after £1,000 worth of repair work.

Ilkley district councillor Anne Hawkesworth, environment boss at City Hall, said she was appaled by the latest attack. "It's quite extraordinary. Whether it's one person I don't know. It's just unbelievable and very frustrating," she said.