People caught short in Oxford city centre are to be charged to spend a penny.

City council bosses have poo-poohed the idea of erecting a series of Parisian-style, self-cleaning public toilets in the centre of Oxford.

Instead, the authority believes it can generate £100,000 a year by charging people to use existing conveniences.

No decision has been made as to how much people would be charged, but the plans mirror an approach commonplace in some UK cities.

However, if the city council wanted to raise £100,000 by charging for the use of public toilets and levied a 20p charge, it would require 5,000 paying customers each year - roughly 14 a day.

Town Hall officers have been told to look into renovating the toilets at Gloucester Green, Castle Street, Oxpens, Westgate, Market Street, Speedwell Street and St Giles - and draw up a charging policy.

City councillor Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: "We are strapped for cash and we have got to keep the streets clean, collect rubbish and provide other services which all have to be paid for.

"This idea has come up because other places charge.

"We want to improve our loos full stop - it is one of the things the public complain about.

"If we can make sure we have got something good, then the public will not object to paying a little bit."

The idea of pop-up toilets was dismissed because they cannot be used by women and the thought of putting up self-contained lavatories worried those who thought they would clash with Oxford's world-famous architecture.

Extra revenue would be generated by advertising in the revamped toilets.

The city council owns and maintains 19 toilets across the city, but the Oxford Mail understands just those in the city centre would be subject to a charge.

Tony Joyce, chairman of the Oxford Civic Society, said: "What we want are decent toilets that are properly maintained and looked after - and they don't come come free."

Labour group leader Bob Price said: "The Liberal Democrats are trying to squeeze money out of people to plug the yawning gap they have created in the budget.

"Estimates put forward for the profits from charging look heavily inflated. And there are no plans to improve the state of the toilets, which are generally very unpleasant."