LEIGH'S much-needed Bengal Street toilets have re-opened with a new roof -- and reported improvements to the interior.

Welcoming the good news I decided to pop in to see what delights were in store.

To put it bluntly I was taken aback. The ladies are not far short of a disgrace.

It seems the main people who have been catered for are the druggies. The only addition to the squalid place is a new black box requesting addicts to place their sharps in it. Enough to put anyone off going in in the first place.

The signs from times gone by are still there, but despite a plaque advertising a hot air dryer there was none. A notice requests users to wash their hands but how can they when there's no hot water and no soap in the dispensers? Neither is there an incinerator.

The tots' cubicle had a filthy bowl and so did the six adult ones. I wouldn't have felt comfortable using any of them unless I was desperate. They could do with a good descaling by the TV cleaning monsters Aggie and whatever the other's name is.

I couldn't see inside the disabled toilet because it only operates with a radar key scheme.

The place, which in old market era could have won cleanliness awards, is a shadow of its former glory. The side wall is knocked down, the front lawn is overgrown and the entrance light is smashed.

Inside the ceiling is patched up, the floor is dinghy and the walls are nothing to write home about. All in all its a big disappointment.

There's two saving graces -- paper in every cubicle and they cost nothing.

The council has appealed to people to treat the conveniences with respect. If they do perhaps they will treat us with some and make them a lot more presentable.