Portable toilets installed at Margate and Botany Bay – but only for a week

Portable loos in Margate last month Photo John Horton

Portable toilets have been installed on Margate seafront and at Botany Bay ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend – but will only be in place for one week.

Last year the portable toilets were put in place at the end of March but that was not been repeated this year with Thanet council saying there were enough public toilets for “sufficient provision” over the Easter break.

Margate Central ward councillors Rob Yates and Helen Whitehead had called for the toilets to be installed as soon as possible.

Thanet council said: “Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, we have installed temporary portable toilets on Margate Main Sands and Botany Bay to ensure additional facilities for residents and visitors. These toilets will be in situ from Thursday 28 April – Wednesday 4 May.”

The isle’s public toilets are open, other than those at the clocktower in Marine Drive which were shut in 2019 due to ‘structural problems’ and have remained closed ever since.

Cllr Rob Yates 

Cllr Rob Yates (Lab) says “I am loo-sing it. Margate needs permanent portaloos from Easter onwards to replace the Clocktower toilets, not just a weekend fix.

“The council has received thousands of pounds from the Empire of Light filming company, the least the Conservative run administration can do is put portaloos (that cost a few hundred pounds a month) at our busy seaside locations in Margate and Botany Bay, like we installed last year with a Labour-run administration.”

Thanet council is also reminding people that restrictions on dogs on some beaches come into force on May 1.

There is also a reminder of PSPO rules including:

  • If you are cycling on the promenade between 10am and 6pm, you must dismount your bicycle where the signs tell you to do so
  •  BBQs and bonfires are not permitted on the beach until after 6pm (if you do have a BBQ or bonfire after 6pm, please please please take your rubbish with you)
  • Horse riding or donkey riding is not permitted along the promenade between 9am and 7pm
  • Once requested to stop drinking alcohol in a public place by a Police Constable or an Authorised Officer, it then becomes an offence to continue

19 Comments

  1. What Thanet District Councillor made this decision… absolutely ludicrous do you honestly think the general public and tourists only go to the toilet on Bank holidays😤

  2. Visited Weymouth in Dorset last summer – the town is a lot like Margate. The provision of clean, modern portaloos on the seafront was fantastic. I love Margate but if I were looking to holiday in a UK seaside town I’d spend my money somewhere which looks after its visitors.

    • Even Herne Bay and Whitstable have better toilet facilities. I walked 6 miles along the seafront between towns recently, and in that time saw 6 different set of public loos.

      TDC are taking the p*ss. But unfortunately, not literally.

  3. Faux outrage from our Labour Councillors who have conveniently forgotten they promised a full review of Thanet’s toilets when they were in charge that then never materialised.

    They could have sorted the problem out !

    • I understand that the Tories are currently in control of Thanet. And in recent years both Tory and UKIP have been at the helm, too.
      The provision of toilets at the moment is the decision of the Tory administration.

      • Once again the public is subjected to the toxicity and political posturing of councillors.

        The fact of the matter is that Labour and Conservative are as bad as each other – they have both failed to maintain and repair the toilets at the Clock Tower.

  4. Make sure you take your bucket with you to the beach. You might need it after they remove the toilets.

  5. We have the highest paid councillors in the country
    It’s about time these career counsellors started acting and making decisions that actually help the local community. Cut the crap and stop taking the piss.

  6. Would be better to un earth the underground loos that were there some decades ago. At least they were kept clean. These will be filthy and full in no time at all. Looks like 3 or 4 portable loos on the prom. Useless to be honest. Useless council.

      • . . . and I wonder how much has been spent on hiring portable toilets in those three years (plus the on-going) as opposed to properly maintaining and repairing the underground toilets in the first instance ?

        The fact that all at TDC have chosen to ignore proper maintenance for too many years is typical of the attitude towards public assets and facilities.

  7. Lack of maintenance with everything TDC are responsible for is evident wherever you go in Thanet. What have they been doing with those funds redirected to what? They really waste the funds on stupid projects and daft consultations.
    This is the 4th year in a row without the Clocktower toilets open. Some structural issue that should have been repaired years ago. Why isn’t the Margate Town Deal money being used to do these such essential repairs in our town to benefit all? Why is it going on CIC’s and private companies? It is all going to be wasted as usual!!

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