Visitors were caught short as public toilets on the seafront were closed on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
And today it emerged that the toilets are likely to remain until the source of the problem with the water supply can be identified and fixed.
The closed toilets are by the sunken garden to the east of Rockwater, the venue on Hove seafront.
Labour councillor Tim Rowkins, the cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: “Unfortunately a problem with the local water supply this weekend meant we had to close our public toilets at Western Esplanade.
“Southern Water was contacted and is investigating the cause of the problem.
“The site is without water and will need to remain closed until Southern Water is able to restore water to the site.
“Hopefully, Southern Water will be able to restore the water supply as soon as possible and these toilets can be opened again.
“But until then we would encourage residents and visitors to use the nearest public toilets which are at the King Alfred Leisure Centre.”
The area is currently undergoing extensive building work with the creation of the new Hove Beach Park.
Doesn’t sound much like Councillor Rowkins is putting much pressure on Southern Water to get things sorted if the fault does in fact lie with them. If public services have to close because of issues with Southern Water infrastructure, then surely the company should be put under pressure to fix things at speed, and / or pay compensation for loss of services in the meantime.
It’s all well and good telling people to use the next nearest toilets at the King Alfred, but by the very nature of the group most reliant on public toilets, they aren’t that accessible for people with mobility needs and health issues. Not good enough and disappointing to see the council’s glib response.
Bearing in mind the extensive construction works between the Toilets and the coast road, it will be the Contractors that have severed the connection. This should have only taken a couple of hours to fix – shocking!!!
Yep – does sound likely it could be contractors working on behalf of the council, which might explain their glib excuse if they have suspicions that the fault could lie with the work they are doing themselves not being done with enough care, rather than it being a Southern Water issue entirely!
While passing, I’ve heard the people at the nearby fish stall asking the contractors on the adjacent building site to turn on their water back on. It might well be a similar issue.
Well that’s BHCC for you excuse after excuse
No words…. “Hopefully, Southern Water will be able to restore the water supply as soon as possible and these toilets can be opened again.” This is an essential public service. There should be no “hopefully” about it. Southern Water should be onsite 24h/day until the problem is fixed.
Toilets; it’s a dirty word and to be sure, a dirty thing.
But how necessary they are in modern life, and what comfort they give us when required…
I have IBS and the other day I was desperate to use the toilet. I had the turtles head, honest to God I was touching cloth. In the end I had to use the facilities in the Leonardo hotel; I felt bad using their toilets as I wasn’t a guest, but if I hadn’t I would have messed myself.
Scandalous the amount of council tax that we pay, and yet there are very few conveniences in the city for people to use. Years ago they were all over town; I suppose they were closed either due to vandalism or ‘misuse’, or the council
not being bothered to stump-up the money to keep them open?
I live on Hove seafront, opposite the tennis courts – and so I’m near these loos. It is true that we have had reduced water pressure in our properties, over the last week or two.
It’s obviously unfortunate when public loos are closed on hot days – or indeed at any other time. But note that we have new public toilets about to open in the Pavilion building that has been recently built to replace the bowls club.
The ground floor of that bigger Pavilion will have a number of new public facilities, including loos, showers, and ‘changing places’ nappy change spaces, accessed from the promenade side.
Once these new loos are open, hopefully by September, the old toilet block mentioned here will be bulldozed flat.
The new ‘Hove Beach Park’, with extensive new sports and outdoor recreation facilities, is a very welcome addition to the area. It might be worth delaying your moans and concerns until after that new work is completed.
Not sure people with health conditions who might be caught short by the closure will want to hold on to their moans (or be able to hold on to their bowels) until the Hove Beach Park is up and running. Moaning about people moaning because of basic public conveniences being closed isn’t great – people do have genuine health issues that mean toilet closures, for whatever reason, are a very real problem.