BURNLEY taxpayers are facing a bill of up to £1.9million to improve disabled access at public toilets in the borough.

Disability campaigners today welcomed the news that all 38 public conveniences could be upgraded and said: "The work will have to be done."

Burnley Council has already commissioned a £30,000 access survey of facilities but fears it could face a further bill of £50,000 for each toilet that needs upgrading.

The total bill could be £1.9million and a council spokesman today conceded some facilities could face the axe to cut improvement costs.

New government legislation states that the authority must make adequate provision for disabled people at all council buildings open to the public by 2004.

A council spokesman said: "We can't be sure what this is going to cost, but other local authorities have spent at least £50,000 per public convenience. Basically, the upgrade involves installing a separate disabled toilet in each one."

The Disability Discrimination Act states that building owners must take "reasonable steps" to cater for the needs of disabled people.

A council report says most toilets in the council's parks do not have suitable facilities for disabled users.

A spokesman said: "What we would have to do is look very carefully at the numbers of toilets and where they are and whether they are in the best places.

"In some instances we do have groups of toilets in small areas. We need to be asking ourselves if that is sensible and could we possibly lose a few of them."

But council claims over cost have been rubbished by a charity which campaigns on issues of disabled access.

Gordon Kirkham, of Shopmobility, Burnley, said: "I would say the costs are over-exaggerated. It could be done a lot cheaper."

However, regardless of cost, Gordon is adamant that the work is long overdue.

He added: "For hundreds of years England has had the attitude that disabled people should stay at home and not come out.

"Now people are getting together and want their voice to be heard. The work will have to be done."

But he said that public toilets in Burnley were a dying breed: "Almost three quarters of the town's toilets have been closed down or are locked up so people cannot use them. To be honest I can't see how they are going to close any because there won't be any left to improve." Shopmobility figures show that there are at least 4,000 people registered with some form of disability in the Burnley area.