Public toilets are set to return to Dublin city centre.

At an annual budget meeting last night, Dublin City Council approved a pilot scheme - with facilities expected to be installed at sites on both the north and south side.

€200,000 has been allocated for the two modular public toilets, which will go into development next year.

The Irish Times reports they new facilities would be the first public toilets in the city centre in more than 20 years.

Green Party Councillor Ciarán Cuffe welcomed the move.

He observed: "We feel new public toilets would be good for the city.

"It would help homeless people, who are often quite vulnerable. But it would also be there for tourists and for residents alike.

Cllr Cuffe suggested it's likely to take at least a year for the facilities to get up-and-running.

He observed: "A lot depends on what red tape is there before we start construction... I think we've got the ball rolling on this, and hopefully something will happen in 2019 to make this happen."

As well as the funding for public toilets, other measures set to be introduced include an additional 2,000 bike parking bays in the city.

Cllr Cuffe said they are also hoping to install more water fountains in the capital, in a bid to help people cut down on single-use plastic bottles.

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