Hampton loos in Herne Bay
A toilet cleaning contractor was verbally abused and locked inside a public toilet by a group of young people in Herne Bay, while several other toilets in the town were set on fire.
The incident happened at the Memorial Park toilets on 27 July, where the cleaner had to lock himself in the cleaners’ cupboard and call 999 and his supervisor for help. He was threatened throughout the ordeal until his supervisor arrived and the young people ran away. The cleaner was, understandably, very shaken.
The same toilets were also targeted by arsonists on 1 August, along with two other public toilets in Herne Bay: Hampton Pleasure (pictured above) and William Street. The fires were started in the afternoon or early evening, forcing Canterbury City Council to close these toilets from around 1pm in the middle of the summer holidays.
The council said that fires were deliberately started at Hampton Pleasure on 18 July, 24 July and 1 August, and at William Street on 27 July, 28 July, 30 July and 31 July.
The council condemned these attacks on their staff and the public toilets that people rely on, and said they were working closely with Kent Police to find those responsible and take appropriate action.
Cllr Charlotte Cornell, Cabinet Member for Heritage, Open Space, Waste and Recycling, said: “These attacks are utterly unacceptable. They not only cause a terrible ordeal for the toilet cleaner involved, who deserves respect and appreciation for his work, but also cost the council taxpayer and divert valuable resources from frontline services.”
The Leader of the Council, Cllr Alan Baldock, has written to the individual member of staff involved in the incident at Herne Bay Memorial Park on behalf of all councillors to express his shock and outrage by what had happened, and to thank him for his hard work and dedication.