Public Toilets at Eastern Gardens, Sandown, were subjected to an attempted arson attack at the weekend.
The purposely lit fire damaged the Accessible Unit, resulting in appliances from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service being called to the scene.
As a result of the blaze, damage was caused to the electrical system in the £200,000 facility.
The Toilets are currently closed due to the need for electrical work and smoke damage, with the Town Council working to re-open as soon as possible.
Town Mayor Alex Lightfoot said:
“We are grateful for the response of the contractors and the emergency services at the weekend, and we hope those responsible for this damage, as well as the potential consequences, are held to account and we are working with the Police to secure a prosecution.”
Deputy Mayor Ian Fletcher added:
“This mindless act of vandalism has targeted disabled people, depriving families and vulnerable people of a vital facility, as well as costing local residents significant repair costs, and requiring the Fire Services to attend at a time when Island residents were suffering from flooding.”
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Sandown Town Council installed the facilities, following public consultation, at the start of the year and are in the process of installing a Changing Places unit before next Summer, and will be considering the installation of further CCTV in the forthcoming budget.
Cllr Lightfoot concluded:
“While the new Eastern Gardens Conveniences are more resistant to vandalism than the previous block, they continue to be a target of anti-social behaviour. We will continue to work with partner agencies to reduce vulnerability to damage, as well as support the prosecution of those responsible.”
Prisons in UK full of our own and now the third world rejects and flotsam. So never again will meaningful sentences be given for acts such as these.
We will pay more council tax and you can bet the feral trash families clones who carry out this don’t pay as on benefits.
So they could not care less and know nothing will happen to them.
So save all the rubbish talk of ‘the birch, parents paying’ etc etc. They just laugh at your idiocy
IF the Police ever find these beings, they will never pay, nor their families as all are likely to be classed as ‘living in poverty’ so cannot have any money taken as they would fall below that level which is against the rules.
All the old fools imagine getting them to clean and scrub away the damage they do, but WHO is going to make them? Without literally forcing them too, they will just refuse, then what?
All these expensive WC’s are crazy, people just need a concrete building with a basic stainless steel pan to ‘go’ on.
Public WC’s are only used as a last resort unless you are odd, so keep them basic as possible.
People being ‘better off’ by having children is creating more unwanted, BUT for the money and easy life chavs
Give NOTHING to food banks, except for Condoms, as most of the recipients are the very families who breed this rubbish.
Give to the elderly and ill charities or animal welfare but never give to these who think that the world owes them and everything they breed a roof, and a living for life despite being vile to the hand that feeds them
The condoms remark is probably one of the most astute comments we’ve had on here in some time.
Less breeding and more working by these people would do the whole of society a favour.
Sad to say all you say is true and no end in sight of doing anything about the situation .
Let’s hope these dirty little scumbags /oik.s. get ibs or diarrhoea …
And find some scumbag has dissed the bogs ….
One day karma will shoot them in the bum ….
Decent CCTV and when you catch the scumbags who done this
STOP their parents benefits
Someone get the gabion cages out
I took my teenage son over to Southampton at the weekend and after a few hours he asked me why is it the bus shelters over here aren’t smashed or covered in graffiti, why are the public toilets clean and not vandalized. He also commented that there was an environmental warden deterring people from throwing fag ends and rubbish on the floor.
When we were driving he also couldn’t believe how good the roads were and how there was so much for people of his age to do.
Now I’m not saying it’s perfect over there but when a teenager notices these things it says a lot where how the island is slipping not just into the sea but social disarray.
Which bit of Southampton did you go to? I’ve worked there and, like all big cities, it has huge issues with litter and vandalism. Everywhere you go there’s graffiti. There are loads of things to do but there are lots of dangers in any city. Naive young islanders need to be aware out in the wider world. It’s too easy to find yourself out of your depth. I wouldn’t want to put anyone off but all cities are dangerous, especially after dark.
The village idiots are on their personal road to hell.
Bring back public stocks for these people! What complete muppet thinks setting fire to a public toilet is a good idea? Hopefully the police find them and they get punished and forced to pay for all the costs, if children make the parents pay, take their benefits off them!!
There’s a lot of sick, nasty, bitter idiots about.
This Island is getting inundated with scum breeding scum feral lowlife. Put them on strict curfew law after dark. This is when the trouble starts so grow a pair, who ever can do it, and put them on it. Sod the do gooders, they are the problem of it all happening and stopping proper sentencing
You are so right mate .
It’s ironic that the protesting left wingers are the ones who wanted more lenient sentencing and are now crying about the crime everywhere. This liberal nonsense has set a presidence in this country and its only going one way, down the pan.
Youngsters on the Island seem to have a fetish setting fire to toilets.
I wonder what punishment they would receive if they done such crimes
in Saudi.
Why is England a soft touch, bring back the Birch.
This is why working CCTV is required. Surely the authorities can find out who did this by checking footage. The cops probably already have an idea who’s a likely suspect. I’ve never understood vandalism or graffiti. Even when I was a teenager it seemed idiotic. Art yes, scribbling your initials on a road sign or wall shows a bizarre lack of skill.
Judging by some of the comments on here any house rules are redundant. There seems to be a general assumption that calling people chavs, or workshy benefit thieves is acceptable. I’d call that hate speech but I’m a bit weird like that. Also the comments about, was it ‘third world something or other’ seems particularly poorly considered.
No point claiming house rules if no-one checks or enforces them.
Next thing there will be effin n jeffin
Why would you consider it UNACCEPTABLE to call people exactly what they are?
I think we all know enough people who are indeed ‘work-shy’ and who cheat the benefits system to state it as a fact.
It’s not ‘hate speech’ simply because you don’t like or agree with it.
bless there little harts they need to have a bit of fun it’s only Sandown witch is a rundown town anyway They can’t play in the rundown hotels so they have to play in the toilets which is not nice for them you don’t know who is lurking in them we all know the island is full of paedos
Could people please learn the basics of the English language before posting on here. You just appear stupid when you can’t write a coherent sentence.
I keep saying this stop breeding altogether.