Work on Haslemere's new public toilets at Lion Green has restarted after a builder's gaff resulted in it being built in the wrong place this spring.

It comes after Haslemere Town Council, its contractor and Waverley Borough Council building control officers met on site to discuss how best to finish the project in the quickest way.

According to the town council, the contractor has had “issues” with suppliers and sub-contractors, causing the long delay.

Haslemere town clerk Lisa O'Sullivan said: "The town council would like to thank residents for the patience they have shown whilst installation of the public toilets on Lion Green has been temporarily delayed.

"This has been due to a combination of supplier and contractor delays and building regulation requirements.

"We are now pleased to confirm that work will recommence on Monday, August 21.

"Plans for the landscaping of the area will be agreed once the project is closer to completion."

She added any questions or concerns can be addressed by email to [email protected]

Haslemere Town Council had hoped the new £135,000 public toilets would open in time for the King's Coronation celebrations in May.

However, users of Lion Green have had to keep their legs crossed all year after the concrete base for the loos was laid in the wrong place by the council's groundwork contractors.

As a result, the base needed to be removed and re-laid – with delayed material delivery cited as another factor in the hold-up.

The need for public toilets at Lion Green has become evident in recent years as a result of the increasing number of community events on the green, such as the Haslemere Fringe Festival.

This requires temporary facilities to be bought in at great expense, with associated logistical issues, while the council says many event-goers have been guilty of urinating in the bushes on the western edge of the green.

The new Lion Green toilets, agreed by councillors last year, would not only be a provision in their own right, but have a manhole to accommodate temporary toilet discharge from rented units.

Councillors were told last year the new toilets would be "attractive in design" and located between the access to the M&S car park and the little road opposite the Apple Tree pub.

They would be of "the most ecological design possible, minimising the use of electricity and water", and automatically locked at agreed times to deter anti-social behaviour.

The total cost of the toilets block was estimated at circa-£135,000, with £100,000 coming from the council's Community Infrastructure Levy pot.