Our seaside town is ruined by filthy tourists using beach as a toilet… it could be fixed but council won’t do anything

FURIOUS locals living in a seaside town say it’s being ruined by filthy tourists who use the beach as a toilet.

Those living in Looe, Cornwall, have been forced to deal with beachgoers urinating on the sand and defecating in the water ever since the public toilets were closed seven years ago.

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Talland Bay has been without loos since 2016[/caption]

Talland Bay has been without loos since 2016 when Cornwall Council (CC) passed on the responsibility to run them on to the Parish Council.

Due to the facilities needing a lot of work, it was agreed that CC would carry out the refurb before handing them over.

But the toilets have remained untouched and closed with no improvements being carried out.

Despite the delay, CC funded temporary public toilets but recently withdrew it and left a local beach cafe paying £7k in running costs for them.

Jack Ashby-Wright manages a nearby hotel and said the council “has done nothing” to help solve the problem.

He told CornwallLive: “There are no public toilets for tourists, local people or local businesses to use.

“Cornwall Council has done nothing to assist in completing a started project which now exceeds five years.

“As of 2023, Cornwall Council ceased funding for temporary facilities, resulting in a local business paying out more than £7,000, just for the summer season which excludes empties, just to have the basic need of popping to the toilet.

“The evidence is huge. No one is trying to get this project sorted, meanwhile, we have people urinating and defecating on the beach, next to the café and in the sea.”

Jack added how times are tough enough for businesses at the minute as it is without owners having to worry about tourists being driven away because people are using the beach as a toilet.

A Cornwall Council spokesman said: “We are continuing to seek a solution to resolve the issue at Talland Bay however, as with all local authorities, pressures on budgets means we have to prioritise funding on the services we are required by law to provide.”