WATCHET Town Council’s plans to reopen its Harbour Road toilets next Monday with the latest safety precautions were dashed when vandals broke in and left the toilets in “an appalling state which is beyond belief” on Tuesday (June 16).

Town clerk Sarah Reed said that the toilets have now been locked until they can be repaired and officially re-opened. After the doors were forced and the safety-locks broken, the floors were “soiled by human waste”.

Mrs Reed added: “Such reprehensible behaviour is dangerous to the public and staff during the pandemic and such irresponsible action is deplored by the town council and, we hope, by residents and visitors to Watchet.”

She said that the council had been working hard to re-open the Harbour Road toilets which had been closed for safety reasons since the start of the coronavirus epidemic. It was now implementing new safety practices, risk assessments and signage and ensuring that cleaning staff had the appropriate PPE in order to service the toilets.

Mrs Reed said the council “had everything in place” in order to open the toilets to the public on June 22 when the damage was discovered.

Over 50 people went on social media to condemn the vandalism. A typical reaction was: “I am disgusted and ashamed at the way Watchet has changed.”