Kingborough Council has announced that the Blackman’s Bay beach toilets will now be locked at dusk and opened for ‘day-use’ at 6am due to “regular vandalism”.
The decision has been made after significant damage was done to the facilities last weekend that saw baby change tables broken and equipment burnt and damaged.
The council say the repair bill is close to $3000 to fix the damage.
“Unfortunately there is a small minority of people within our community who are persistently vandalising these public toilets.”
In addition to locking the toilets at night time, the council will also remove the paper towel dispenser and replace it with a hand dryer.
According to a council spokesperson, if the vandalism persists, other measures such as CCTV will be considered.
The council is also considering locking other toilets in the area that attract this type of behaviour at night-time to prevent further vandalism and costs to residents.
“It is unfortunate Council needs to take these steps but the ongoing nature of the vandalism provides no other real solutions,” they say.
This decision will have an impact on residents who may use these facilities outside of the opening hours, however, the council believes that the safety and protection of public property is paramount and that these measures are necessary to deter vandalism.
