Brighton and Hove once had more than 100 public loos and you could hardly move on the seafront without bumping into one.

Now, between the piers, there are only three sets of lavatories.

One is temporary, one is for children and the third cannot easily be found.

Many of the loos that have been closed were squalid and not accessible to disabled people because they were down steep stairs.

The remaining toilets are much better and many are staffed. But more are needed and not just on the seafront.

In Rottingdean, parents had to raise money themselves to help provide loos at a new children's playground.

Anyone standing in Churchill Square or Western Road, the busiest section of the city, will not find it easy to locate the nearest public toilet.

The city council is aware of the problem but has even less money than usual.

What it could do is insist on public toilets being provided as part of planning applications in any large new city centre development.

A chance was missed with the new Air Street development being built opposite the Clock Tower.

But there will be other major schemes and developers will be spending millions of pounds on them.

We must persuade them to put in a bit more so we can all spend a penny.