Named as the Venice of the Cotswolds as a nod to its tourism clout, Bourton-on-the Water might be the last place you'd expect to see a cutback in its services to encourage visitors, but Cotswold District Council has signalled that it intends to sell off the picturesque village's tourist information centre.

Visitors flock from all over the UK and further afield to buy ice creams and paddle in the River Windrush, but the flow of funds appears to have run dry for the information hub tucked away in Victoria Street.

The former public toilet facility, which was converted into an information point in 1996 and which has stood empty since February, is now set to go to market at a likely price of £240,000.

In the face of the widespread government funding crisis, the building was seen as being vulnerable to such a move in July 2023 and earlier this year, when CDC leaders warned that the budget for this level of provision would soon be no more.

The council says it has looked at options which might include retaining ownership and letting the unit commercially - with a potential £14,000 yearly income - but its consultants have warnedno strategic benefit would lie in such an approach, given that no adjacent land or buildings are owned at the location.

Cllr Len Wilkins, who represents the ward, said he is disappointed and that the village needs an information centre, In its absence, tourists were turning to their phones for guidance on what to do and where to go.

Meanwhile, attempts by Bourton Business Network to set up an alternative site embedded with a local shop has so far not been successful.