A TOWN Council has criticised ‘mindless vandalism’ after its public toilets at Crooklets were smashed up and requiring repair.

Bude-Stratton Town Council says that the vandals caused damage resulting in unnecessary costs, disruption for users and diverted their facilities team from undertaking important work elsewhere.

It says that the damage to the public facilities included smashed glass in addition to the destruction of a toilet bowl and a lid, which it says has now been repaired.

It has urged residents to work with it in helping to combat the vandalism of public facilities, stating that while it has CCTV outside the toilets, its ability to go beyond that is limited by the requirement for privacy in the toilet’s interior.

A spokesperson for Bude-Stratton Town Council said: “Last week, the toilets at Crooklets were damaged by mindless vandalism, including smashed glass and a destroyed toilet bowl and lid. This resulted in unnecessary costs, disruption for users, and diverted our facilities team from other important work. The damage has now been repaired, and the toilets are fully open again.

“We do have CCTV outside the toilets and review footage when incidents occur. However, for privacy reasons, cameras cannot be installed inside the toilet area. If you see any suspicious activity, please report it. Let’s work together to protect our public spaces.”

The latest spate of vandalism comes several months after persistent issues with damage to public toilets in the town led to the council trialling the early closure of some of its facilities.

Three toilets in the town owned and operated by Bude-Stratton Town Council were the subject of a trial early closure that began on July 1, 2024, with Poughill and Stratton toilets closing at 5pm and the facilities at The Crescent closing at 6pm.

The trial was later made permanent at the three facilities.