'Mind-blowingly stupid' and 'despicable' – Highland Councillor hits back at public toilet vandals after more than 20 attacks in a year
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The latest incident of a public toilet being vandalised – and closed as a result – has sparked a furious response from a senior Highland councillor.
Vandalism of public toilets is a severe problem for the council, with facilities having to be closed for months and repair bills soaring into tens of thousands of pounds.
Toilets in Muir of Ord have been closed for a second time this year due to “ongoing vandalism” and they are not alone – Thurso toilets were also closed for the second time this year last week.
Since December of last year there have been more than 20 incidents of public toilets being vandalised within the Highland Council area, some so badly damaged that they have had to be closed for months at a time.
Almost every part of the region – including Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire and Badenoch and Strathspey – has been affected, and the culprits are rarely caught.
Some of our coverage about the vandalism of public toilets:
- John O'Groat Journal: Thurso toilets closed once again due to 'ongoing vandalism'
- Northern Times: Councillor warns Golspie could lose its public toilets as vandals continue to strike
- Ross-shire Journal: Public toilets in Ross-shire county town of Dingwall closed due to vandalism
- Inverness Courier: Disabled toilet in Whin Park in Inverness closed after it was damaged by vandals
- Badenoch and Strathspey Herald: 'Morons' slammed for vandalising Kingussie public toilets just days after refurbishment
It is not a victimless crime, because each time a convenience is damaged taxpayers' money is used to repair them, leaving less for investment on other priorities.
October was a particularly bad month with the the disabled toilets in Whin Park, Inverness hit as well as Thurso and Muir of Ord.
Others incidents: Wick in February, not long after the toilets there reopened after being closed for two years; Kingussie the same month; Cromarty in March; Ardersier and Dornoch in May; and Dingwall and Golspie in June as well as others in Alness, Strathpeffer and Rosemarkie.
There were a further series of incidents last year in Aviemore, Rosemarkie and Castletown – and that is only the toilets. Community centres and village halls have also been attacked.
'Vandals are just despicable'
The most recent attack in Muir of Ord was in Councillor Graham Mackenzie’s ward of Dingwall and Seaforth.
He is also chairman of the council's communities and place committee which oversees public toilets.
“I think the vandals are just despicable,” he said. “People can jump to conclusions that it is always youngsters but we need to keep an open mind about who is behind it.
“The problem is how do you educate someone about the impact of their actions when that individual has gone out knowingly from their home with a hammer to deliberately damage a facility?
“It is mind-blowingly stupid.”
'This is just not sustainable'
He is aware of how much public toilets are needed by communities, particularly those outside Inverness where alternatives are few and far between, but the vandalism presents a huge challenge for the council.
“Vandalism is a particular difficulty for the council because there is no telling when it is going to happen, so it is very difficult to stop,” he said.
“After a recent incident of vandalism at the public toilets in Dingwall, police did increase patrols which helped to curtail any more attacks on the facilities, and I can’t help thinking the police have better things to do.
“We will have to look at what we will do as the nights draw in because of course the darker it gets the more likely it is that some people might try and get away with destroying public toilets.
“Although public toilets are not one of the statutory functions of the council I will resist shutting them down so we may need to look at opening hours so that toilets close earlier in a bid to protect them from vandalism.
“The public rely on them and so does the transient population – like the lorry drivers parked up in Dingwall – so we have to do what we can to make sure they are available.
“Repairing them is a significant draw on the council’s limited finances – at the moment this is just not sustainable, so something needs to be done.”
