Skipton could become the first place in the country to have a public toilet cash machine.

Residents and visitors would be able to kill two birds with one stone and stock up on cash while answering the call of nature.

And it could be the answer to the town council’s expensive problem of maintaining its Coach Street public facilities.

So far, the project is in its very early stages, but council leader, Coun Chris Harbron, is confident it could work.

He said: “It would be useful for the events at that end of town, like the farmers’ market.

“Depending on what type of cash machine we had installed, it could provide us with an income which could be used to help with the maintenance of the toilets,” added Coun Harbron.