The Arun district public toilets that brought in the most income in the pandemic

But Arun said the cost of keeping the loos open far outweighed the income it received.

Paymentsense said during the past year of lockdowns, shopping centres and some buildings had to close off their toilets to the public due to hygiene concerns.

This led to people paying for council-owned toilets whenever they needed the loo when they were out and about.

Arun made £1,775.14 and the data found dog friendly West Park in Aldwick made the most money at £1517.44 during the pandemic.

It said: “The park is a popular place, located on the seafront, with many beautiful walks and a play area for all ages. Other public toilets in the Arun district include West Beach which made £257.70.”

A spokesperson for Arun said: “Throughout all of last year, during the pandemic. Arun District Council were able to keep our toilet facilities open for the public.

“We did experience regular, and in a couple of instances extreme vandalism, which needed short closures for costly repairs and refurbishments.

“Increased cleaning regimes, clear signage and co-operation from our residents and visitors meant that we were able to continue to provide this vital service.

“The cost to the council of keeping our public toilet facilities open, far outweighs any income received.”

Paymentsense analysed the public toilets around the UK to find out which councils kept theirs open during the pandemic and how much was made from each. 

Cambridge councils were top and made £3,736, followed by Scarborough, Wyre and Perth and Kinross.

Paymentsense said these toilets still only accept cash payments and there was an important discussion to be had around moving to contactless payments.

Jon Knott, head of customer insights at Paymentsense, said: “Coronavirus has undoubtedly forced change in our lives.

“As more businesses refuse cash as a precaution against Covid-19, it makes perfect sense that the use of contactless cards should be rolled out across public toilets as well.

“With more and more of us flocking to green spaces – especially those of us in cities – without access to gardens, there is a need to make toilets more accessible.

“We’ve seen less and less young people carrying cash, so coin-only facilities are not in-line with our financial choices. 

“With the pandemic ongoing, it seems that contactless toilets may be here sooner than we thought and in many ways a necessity.”