CALLS are being made for toilets on the Cambrian train line to be regularly cleaned after a recent rail user described the facilities as “disgusting”.

Penrhyndeudraeth town councillor Gwynfor Owen said he was appalled when he witnessed the state of the toilet on board the Arriva train service leaving from Pwllheli back to Machynlleth recently.

Cllr Owen said he was shocked to discover the toilets are only cleaned in Machynlleth and that there is no-one available to clean them once the service arrives in Pwllheli.

He said: “I recently caught the train from Pwllheli to come back to Penrhyndeudraeth and as soon as I boarded I noticed this absolutely disgusting smell.

“I noticed it was coming from the toilet and when I looked in I couldn’t believe how bad it was.

“I spoke to the conductor and asked why the toilet hasn’t been cleaned seeing as the train had been waiting for half an hour and he told me that it was because it only gets cleaned once the service arrives back in Machynlleth.”

An Arriva Trains Wales spokesperson said: “Unfortunately over the years, the toilets on our 158 fleet of trains that run along the Cambrian coast have corroded giving the impression that they are dirty. These toilets are currently undergoing a refurbishment.

"The toilets are cleaned on a regular basis, both at the depot and whilst in service. We use a special ’bio-hygiene’ cleaning product that cleans and fragrances the toilets and we also fit toilet gels to the pans. However, there was a recent issue with the toilet gel supply which has now been resolved and we apologise for any discomfort caused."