PUBLIC toilets which opened 16 months ago have been closed in the mornings after a spike in drug activity.

In the past two weeks a bag of drugs paraphernalia was found in toilets at The Level, in Brighton, while in a separate incident a man suffered a suspected overdose.

The council said it had temporarily closed the toilets in an attempt to “nip the problem in the bud” after finding most of the drug use was happening in the morning.

The revamped Level opened in July 2013 while the toilets and Café Velo opened in November 2013.

Mothers visiting The Level in the early morning were left disappointed to find the toilets suddenly closed for half a day as they visited the playground.

Mum Emily Wallin, who visits with her toddler, said: “I don’t know how far away the next baby changing facilities are.

“If you need to change a baby you need to do it immediately and won’t be able to travel far.

“Normally the toilets are really good on The Level and lots of parents take their children to the park – especially in half term.

“It makes the playground fairly unusable if the toilets are closed for half a day.

“The park used to be a haunt for drug users and street drinkers but it’s a much nicer environment now.”

Laura Jackson, a manager at Pixies Childcare Ltd in Ditchling Road, said she had seen police by the toilets a few times in the last month and said the toilets were “not always in a nice state”.

A spokesperson for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We have closed the public toilets at The Level in the mornings. This is because in the last week or so we have noticed an increase in drug activity relating to the toilets during these times.

“The closure is a temporary measure aimed at nipping the problem in the bud. We will review it after a few weeks. We apologise for any inconvenience the closure may cause.

“We are working closely with colleagues at Sussex Police and the NHS on this issue.

“The toilets in the café at The Level will remain available from 8am.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said he was aware of two incidents at the toilets in October.

He said: “One involved a man who had collapsed of a suspected overdose on October 16. He recovered from the incident. The second involved the discovery of a bag of drugs paraphernalia there on Thursday, October 23. There have been no arrests at this stage.”