The issue has been going back years with fears it’s become a health problem
Hundreds of people are calling for their village public toilets to reopen as people keep going to the loo behind it. The toilets off the village green in Thornton Hough, Wirral, have been closed since the start of the pandemic.
Geoff Dale from the Thornton Hough Community Trust at a tourism, communities, culture, and leisure committee said the loss of the public toilets was continuing to be a real problem as there was no other public toilets in the area. He said the area was popular with joggers, walkers, cyclists, as well as sports clubs, a school and many children.
455 people had signed his petition with many of them local. He said: “It’s really embarrassing that I have to say there are no public toilets anywhere near.,” adding: “To have the toilets there is a huge bonus.”
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When the school is using the pitch, sometimes staff levels means the entire class has to be taken back to school so one child can use the loo. He called for it to reopen, adding: “While it’s been closed, people have been relieving themselves around the back of the building.”
He said this was raising health concerns for neighbours about the impact on their grandchildren playing in their garden behind the toilet block, adding: “People just keep doing it. It’s a real issue in the village.”
Concerns were previously raised by councillors representing Thornton Hough about the issue. Cllr Helen Cameron said: “There’s such a high demand for football facilities and it’s really difficult to schedule everybody on a pitch that’s playable.
“What this means in reality is about 30 people turn up to play at the Thornton Hough facilities. Now they don’t even have a toilet so although I found it disgusting they were going behind the toilets to relieve themselves, I understood why.”
The issue is due to come to committee at some point this year after a request by Cllr Cameron but councillors ask for it to be brought forward to before Christmas if possible. Cllr Ann Ainsworth asked councillors be given the full cost implications of reopening the toilets, users, and whether the council could look to charge for them in the future “as much as I would hate to do that but we are where we are”.
Mr Davies said they would be able to provide information about the use of the toilets, adding: “As for charging, I think that’s a really good idea in this day and age. It’s more the facility being there.”
