Vandals attacked five council owned public toilets at the weekend just days after the Hastings Borough Council bowed to public pressure and reopened them after the Coronavirus lockdown.

Vandalism included extensive graffiti, damaged pipework, smashed cisterns and toilet pans leading to some of the facilities needing to be closed again for repairs. 

Councillor Paul Barnett, lead councillor for urban environment and community safety, said: “We recently opened as many public toilet facilities as we felt we were able to manage safely. Unforunately, over the weekend, half of the toilets that we opened were either vandalised or misused, with some now needing significant repair work. 

“If you have any information about who was responsible for any of this damage, please let us know.”

Council Kim Forward, added: “We understand how important it was for residents to have these facilities reopened again so it is incredibly disappointing to see them being damaged. We know most people have been patient and respectful of the facilities and guidelines, and we thank you for doing so. However, the actions of a few have been completely unacceptable and have now resulted in us having to take limited resource away from essential work to fix and clean up the facilities.

“Please respect our town and the safety measures we have put in place to make sure we keep our infection rate down.” 

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