New public toilets vandalised before opening day

New public toilets in the Meadows in Edinburgh have been vandalised before they were even opened to the public.

The building hosting the toilets, off Middle Meadow Walk, has had its rear wall covered in graffiti.

Local residents said the lack of toilets in the historic park has meant people were urinating in the surrounding streets.

Originally set to open before the summer season, the toilets will now open later this month alongside public toilets in the Leith Links and Inverleith Park.

The new toilets are part of a £1m investment across the city to provide more free public toilets, with four new public toilet banks included in the funding.

One of the four, located in South Queensferry, opened at the end of June.

The new toilet blocks will feature three regular toilet cubicles, an accessible toilet and a changing places toilet, as well as tool storage for local community groups.

Each block will also feature bike racks, benches and a drinking water fountain.

Margaret Graham, City of Edinburgh Council's culture and communities convener, said: "I'm extremely disappointed to see that our brand-new facilities have been defaced by graffiti.

"There is of course a real spectrum of 'graffiti', from formal murals like Colinton Tunnel which have the consent and support of the community, through to offensive tags.

"The majority of the complaints we receive are about the latter. We're arranging for it to be removed."

Reporting by local democracy journalist Joe Sullivan.