All seaside public toilets now open as council prepares for summer
Public toilets at Clacton beach have now opened in full Picture: TENDRING DISTRICT COUNCIL - Credit: TDC
Seaside tourist hotspots in Essex have reopened all their public toilets as lockdown rules continue to be eased.
Toilets in popular tourist destinations like Clacton, Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze had been shut at the start of lockdown.
Some were reopened after Prime Minister Boris Johnson allowed the public to travel further to take exercise, but beach hut owners and councillors had pushed for more to reopen following incidents of human fouling against, huts, houses and in drains.
Now, Tendring District Council have announced they will open all the toilets with extra safety measures and cleaning protocols.
The public are also asked to be polite and courteous to cleaning staff while carrying out their role – which may involve them asking people to leave or wait while cleaning is done.
Council leader Neil Stock said: “Our toilet cleaners have a tough enough job to do as it is without facing abuse from the public, but sadly a minority feel it is acceptable to do this.
“It is completely abhorrent and unacceptable, and our staff have rightly been instructed to walk away from any such situation.
“So if anyone does abuse our staff, we may be forced to close toilet facilities as we will not be able to clean them.”
Most Read
- 1 Road near A14 closed after 'serious' two-vehicle crash
- 2 Colchester sack Mullins as ex-Town defender takes interim charge of U's
- 3 Flood alert issued for parts of Suffolk coastline
- 4 Van driver in his 20s dies in Elmswell crash
- 5 Village hall treasurer jailed after stealing cash to help his business
- 6 'Incredible' Downes tipped 'to play at the very top'
- 7 'We thought he could be someone special' - Comolli on McKenna's start in coaching
- 8 Walton completes permanent move to Ipswich Town
- 9 Push for 4 day work week in Suffolk after company's profits soar 200%
- 10 Nine Ipswich players who could follow Nsiala out the door this month
To accommodate the extra safety measures, the toilets will now be open 10am-8pm. One facility, Frinton’s Connaught Avenue toilets, will open at 8am.
The public are being asked to maintain social distancing and to follow instructions about maximum numbers or closed cubicles at all times, and to ensure they wash their hands after using the facilities.
Michael Talbot, council cabinet member for environment, said: “We understand there has been some frustration that our public toilets had been opened on a limited basis, but this has been necessary to make sure we have the appropriate safety measures in place both for the public and our staff.
“I am glad that we can now open all of our public toilets, which we know are important for many people visiting our seafronts and town centres – particularly as non-essential retail outlets can now re-open.”
