'MINDLESS idiots' forced the closure of Penistone's public toilets after setting fire to the facilities which resulted in them flooding.
Flames burned through a pipe in the toilet block, on Market Place, leaving the building with two feet of standing water.
Nicola Ward, who runs Ward's Fish and Chips, next to the toilets, discovered the fire and said water from the burst pipe prevented it spreading.
"We're lucky we've not lost all of the little stone building," she said. "How the whole building hasn't gone up, I don't know.
"We know they're not the most modern toilets but they're kept clean, they're open every day and they work - when people don't try and burn them down.
"It's not because the town council isn't looking after them. We're all doing our bit for the community but some mindless idiots keep trying to wreck the toilets."
Penistone Town Council took over the running of the toilets from Barnsley Council last year and plans to revamp the facilities later this year.
Town Coun Steve Marsh has led the project, which has an £18,000 budget and will include creating a single pay-to-use unisex toilet, with room to add a second if required.
He said he hopes the refurbishment, which will also see the installation of closed-circuit television cameras outside the toilets, will put an end to vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the area.
"This is the reason we're wanting to alter them and make it so you have to pay to go in and keep the riff-raff out," he said.
"Why would anybody want to set fire to the toilets? This isn't somebody who's a grown person, it's kids doing this, vandals."
