By Cherry Wilson

cherry.wilson@essnmedia.co.uk

They were supposed to be state-of-the-art toilets that would provide commuters with the perfect place to spend a penny at Norwood Junction train station.

But one frustrated trader says the cubicles on Station Road have brought nothing but misery to South Norwood for the last four years.

Richard Hough, owner of Autoclutch, has branded the toilets a "waste of money" and he wants them removed.

The mechanic, whose business is on Station Road, says they are a magnet for drug users and vandals.

He also claims the toilets were supposed to be self-cleaning but the mechanism never worked, so he had to put up with a horrendous smell wafting from the cubicles.

The toilets were installed by Southern Railway around four years ago following requests from passengers and commuters.

But they have been closed for several months and fed-up Mr Hough says the time has come for them to be taken away.

"They never worked from the day they were installed," he said. "The smell that was coming out was atrocious."

With the toilets out of use, Mr Hough says he is fed up with having to tell people they don't work.

"It is the biggest waste of money ever," he said.

Transport for London (TfL) took control of running Norwood Junction last September in preparation for the opening of the extended East London Tube line in the summer.

It says it is looking at plans to refurbish the toilets rather than remove them.

A TfL spokesman said: "Proposals are being developed to refurbish these toilets and rearrange their layout so that they are less prone to vandalism and abuse and will only be accessible to passengers with a ticket to travel."