“DISGUSTING” public toilets in the heart of the city are the dirtiest they have been in more than 30 years, according to a trader.

David Sewell, who has been running the Pavilion Gardens Cafe since 1985, said the Princes Place loos were “so obscene, it’s unbelievable”.

The council has apologised for the state of the loos and said upgrading them was a top priority.

Last week councillors voted against plans to charge people 30p to use public toilets across Brighton and Hove.

Profits from the scheme would have gone towards a major refurbishment programme.

Mr Sewell said of the toilets at Princes Place: “They are so disgusting they are unusable. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

He said the vacuum-flushing loos did not flush, were blocked and should have been replaced four years ago.

“It’s a health and safety issue,” he added.

“It’s right next to the Royal Pavilion. Tourists and students from abroad go in there on a daily basis. The gents’ disabled isn’t operational, it’s not working.

“To be honest they need gutting and proper flushing toilets putting in to at least give the cleaning operatives a chance.”

He said the toilets were so bad he had considered standing outside and directing people to use the museum’s instead.

Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We’re aware that there is an ongoing issue with the toilets and flush systems at Royal Pavilion Gardens.

“We will be replacing the bowls and flush systems over the next few weeks.

“We expect this to eliminate the problem of toilet bowl blockages.

“We have a full-time attendant on site every day, and prompt action is taken when blockages occur.

“We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience this problem is causing.”

Last week Conservative and Green councillors voted as a block against bringing in the 30p charge.

Labour’s Gill Mitchell said the charge had been part of a deal that would have seen Healthmatic, the private firm that runs the toilets, invest more than £600,000 in refurbishing them.

She said the decision to reject the plans had put this funding at risk.

Officers now have to look again at how many public conveniences can be refurbished with the council’s £550,000 budget.

Cllr Mitchell said: “Unlike other towns and cities we have managed to keep most of our public toilets open. We think this is the best way to safeguard our toilets for the future.”