Council consults on cutting beach toilets grant

Residents fear visitors will use the sand dunes if the public toilets are closed

Public toilets near a popular beach in north Cornwall are at risk of closure, with the council opening a consultation on their future.

Residents of Porthcothan near Padstow are concerned visitors would resort to using the sand dunes as a toilet, if a £10,000 annual grant from Cornwall Council is withdrawn.

St Eval Parish Council said it could not afford to run the toilets without the grant.

Cornwall Council has opened a consultation on the grant, and also on the future of the car park with proposals to hand its management to an arms-length business and private enforcement firm.

Parish councillor Mary Neale said next year the beach would be crowded and without public toilets

The authority said it had to consider different ways to balance its budget.

The parish council said it would be prepared to take on the management of the car park and could use the profits to operate the toilets.

Parish councillor Mary Neale said: "The prospect for 2025 is a crowded beach with no public toilets.

"People will be defecating in the dunes, the caves and the sea - meanwhile the council gets all the money from the car park."

For the past two years the parish council has had a £10,000 grant from Cornwall Council towards the annual cost of £13,000 to maintain the beach toilets.

Mick Baker, vice-chairman of the parish council, said: "The cost of the toilets could be offset from the car park but without that and with Cornwall Council pulling the grant they give us, looking after the toilets is too much expense for us."

'A disaster'

John Robinson, a trustee for Porthcothan Bay's sand dunes, said: "We are desperately trying to get them [the sand dunes] regenerated and if people start defecating and all the rest of it in the dunes, it's going to be a disaster."

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "Due to increased demand and rising costs of many of the services we provide for our residents, we are having to look at different ways to help balance our budget for the coming year."