Public toilets have come under fire for being dirty and out of use.

The toilets near the Pavilion Gardens Cafe in Brighton have been branded “a disgrace” by a woman who lives nearby.

Rita Huth, 67, who lives off St James’s Street, said: “I am a regular user of the public toilets by the cafe.

“I was there recently and one cubicle was missing a lock and three were out of order, leaving just two usable cubicles.

“I dread to think of the state of those. I did not get that far because there was a large queue, so I went elsewhere.”

The Royal Pavilion is one of the city’s major tourist attractions, and the Pavilion Gardens are a popular place for people to sit on warm days.

David Sewell, who has worked at the cafe for 35 years, said: “There is still a cleaner going in there sometimes, but it is not enough. The toilets keep breaking, so there is not much a cleaner can do.

“The council replaced the flush system with a vacuum one which was a big mistake. The maintenance people are based in Chelmsford, Essex. They could fix it in the morning but it would be broken again a few hours later.

“These are the only public toilets in the city centre, and they are simply not fit for purpose.”

Peter Otto, a customer of the cafe since 1980 and the chairman of the Friends of Pavilion Gardens Committee, said: “The toilet situation here stinks to high heaven.”

Councillor Alan Robins, who chairs the tourism, development and culture committee, said: “Plans are under way to improve the Pavilion Gardens more generally, but I am not sure about the toilets.

“I do not know what they are like.

“The idea was to begin work this summer.”

But Mr Sewell said: “The council keeps saying they will do something, but they have been saying that for years. If councillors had to use these toilets, they would sort them out next week.”

Councillor Robert Nemeth, opposition spokesman for the tourism, development and culture committee, said: “The Conservative group had some success in overturning the Labour administration’s proposed toilet closures two years back but many are either neglected or disused. This is highly embarrassing for us a tourist destination.

“With the city looking dirtier and more graffiti-ridden than it has for a generation, many visitors will be wondering if they want to come back.”

A council spokesman said: “Due to antisocial behaviour we have invested £800,000 in increasing attendant hours at the Pavilion Garden toilets and those on the seafront.

"In addition, we are making a significant capital investment into the city’s public toilets.”