After a damning report revealed the appalling state of the nation's toilets, CHARLOTTE PERCIVAL and ALEX WRIGHT checked out York's public conveniences.

PUBLIC toilets in York are plumbing the depths for quality and cleanliness on the eve of Royal Ascot, an Evening press investigation reveals today.

Reporters visiting seven city centre public toilets found their overall quality was poor - two years after a similar exercise prompted a call for a clean-up.

Problems included graphic sexual graffiti, bad smells and rubbish over the floor.

Yesterday, dirty toilets across the country were branded a "national disgrace" in a survey by the National Consumer Council (NCC).

Cleanliness was the main problem, followed by safety and the need for the loos to be situated in better locations.

Next month, thousands of tourists will descend on the city as Royal Ascot gets under way.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "We recognise that the city's

public toilets play a key role in influencing visitors' impressions of York.

"The council has redecorated a number of public toilets since April, and has used anti-graffiti paint on the doors at Exhibition Square as a trial.

"The city centre toilets are cleaned three times per day and we also have a

rolling deep cleansing project.

"If anyone feels that the standards in any of the council's public toilets

has fallen below and acceptable level, we would like to hear from them on

(York) 551551."

Although the general picture was cleaner than that of two years ago, tab-end-littered floors, vandalised doors and broken soap dispensers still let the city down.

However, the Museum Garden toilets, previously labelled a "stench-ridden dumping ground", were hugely improved, with none of the syringe wrappers and dirty clothes we reported two years ago.

GNER spokesman John Gelson said: "Many of the toilet facilities at York Station, including those on platforms 3, 7, 8 and 9, had been recently refurbished, with new unisex baby change and disabled facilities, as part of a £2.2 million programme of improvements. The gents' toilets on platform 4 were not part of this work as they were revamped three years ago."

"All of the station toilets are maintained by a contractor on our behalf, and we will take up the points raised by the Evening Press with them.

"York is a busy station and the facilities are well used - our aim is to ensure the highest possible standards are maintained".

Updated: 11:22 Friday, May 27, 2005