Car crashes into town centre public toilets leaving them liable to collapse

A PUBLIC toilet block in the centre of Wellington was partially demolished this afternoon when a car crashed into it.

The Longforth Road toilets were being made safe by the emergency services while structural engineers were called in.

The driver of a black BMW car appeared to have lost control after turning from High Street into Longforth Road and crashed into the centre of the toilet block opposite the Texaco filling station.

A wooden beam and part of the brick wall of the building collapsed onto the front of the vehicle.

The driver appeared to have been saved from serious injury by the car's airbag and did not need to be taken to hospital.

Nobody was using either of the two toilet cubicles which were open at the time.

Four fire engines, police, highways, and Somerset West and Taunton Council vehicles were in attendance.

Longforth Road was closed in both directions and traffic was diverted via the town centre.

The toilet block is owned by Wellington Town Council, which has been debating redeveloping it over the past few months.

One councillor told the Wellington Weekly: "We have been thinking about knocking down the toilets and completely rebuilding them, I think this may make up our minds for us."

The footpath running past the toilets will be closed to pedestrians while the building remains unsafe.