Island Echo always welcomes letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – 13th June 2023
“I had course to complain to Sandown Council today after my mother, who is 90, wanted to use the above facilities.
“In the first instance, a very kind passerby gave me 20p to access the facility as I didn’t have any cash on me. A lady was trying to pay by card in the toilet, to the left, but couldn’t make this facility work.
“I let my mother into the facility, baring in mind she has a 4-wheeled walker and there is no way she would have been able to hold her walker and pull the very heavy door outwards, towards her, to access the toilet.
Article continues below this advertisement “Having used the facility (that my mother says very not very clean) she naturally wanted to wash her hands, she could not make the automatic water dispenser work, she opened the door to call me for assistance. I couldn’t make the water work either and the light was working.
“The lady in the toilet to the right (who have also paid 20p) could not make the water work either.
“We had planned to take lunch in the Sundial Café but my mother was so concerned that she couldn’t wash her hands she refused to let me order her a sandwich (please bear in mind my mother is a diabetic.)
“I had to run up to the local Co-op to purchase some hand wipes
“So I called the local Council and spoke to a lady who explained who that the power and water automatically switch off after 20 mins or when the door is open to prevent people allowing someone else to use the toilet without paying!
Article continues below this advertisement “The lady, at the Council, who took my call said that she had visited to facility earlier in the day regarding a complaint about the water not working, confirmed the auto ‘switch off mechanism, I invited her to return to the toilets but she said she had a urgent matter to attend to and I could visit the Council Offices and deliver a letter of complain.
“The Disabled toilet apparently takes the RADAR key, but the RADAR key is located on the payment pad (not the disabled door and there is no signage to advise elderly people that this is the case. Apparently there was signage to this effect put up but the constant sunshine/heat means the signs fall off!
“Or is it the case that Sandown Town Council choose not to provide permanent signage to this effect because this would reduce income as the RADAR key access is free?
“According to Danflo, the ‘switch off mechanism’ is a choice Sandown Council would have made again to increase income
“Questions for Sandown Council:
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Having visited Sandown many times over the years why did Sandown Council decide not to refurbish the existing toilets on this site and go to the expense of building a new toilet facility?
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Do Sandown Council not value the income that tourist bring into Sandown? This is not the most prosperous of towns on the island and I would have thought this ‘run down’ town needs to encourage every visitor it can to support local companies. Every time we visit another shop has closed down?
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Bearing in mind the demographic of visitors that visit Sandown I would say the majority of people were over 60. Many people of this age suffer from weak bladders and haven’t got time to try to access toilets that are not easily accessible.
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I believe Sandown Council need to seriously review their toilet facilities and ensure that theses facilities in the town can be accessed by all including people with mobility issues. Please review the door access particularly with people where they are trying to open the door when using mobility equipment, walker and walking sticks.
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How can towns like Ryde, Yarmouth and Ventnor offer free toilets but Sandown can’t?”
Helen Sheppard
Oxfordshire
Sandown are tight arses give nothing away literally.
yarmouth toilets are not free
Agreed, but Shanklin 20p, Newport 40p and last week I ended up putting £1-20 but still didn’t work. Feel for vunerable and elderly who struggle even to get them to work. People pay enough c/tax and should be free for all , it’s a human right. Don’t see staff in County Hall paying- why should tax payers pay wages as well as free toilet, probably air conditioning and drinking water too.
I have read that the charge will be 50p during the summer also the toilets on the revetment are closed
Good old Sandown no toilets just looks like one
Good luck finding free public toilets in Yarmouth; they’ve gone down the same money-grabbing, retrograde route. Who the hell carries a pocket full of 20p pieces these days?
Robbing Holidaymakers.
24/7 365 days a year parking charges, hardly good for
Tourism, oh and of course excessive Ferry Fares.
What sensible person would holiday on the rip off Isle of Wight
me and my sister walked from Littlestairs steps lake to Yaverland 1st toilets by Hinks Pioneer Cafe closed 2rd toilets by The Beach Shack cafe closed 3rd toilets by opp sandown Pier closed 4th toilets by The Sundialwanted 20p where are people meant to go when they go to the beach and when we got to Yaverland Public Toilets they were disgusting mess no toilet seat no toilet roll and the smell was like standing next to the sewage farm you would think we were living in the dark ages all thanks to a tight-fisted island Council no wonder people dont want to come here any more
I will never pay to have a p*ss
Why do I pay over £2,000.00 a year council tax
This Council is a fcuking joke
I would rather p*ss up a tree.
Some sort of response from the relevant authority would be appropriate here I would have thought!
Actually there ios currently no public toilets available in Ryde! The ones at the top of the High Street have been shut for months and the ones at the Esplanade are “Being refurbished” and we don’t know what is the future for them. I wonder if this is a license to piss in public?
Such fair and honest comments from this lady..The toilets in St John’s road has the same problem…soap but no water …and no signage at all to indicate where to use a key.
Oh dear. This is not the first time that the words ‘Sandown’ and ‘toilet’ have been acqainted this year. Have you checked out Turdtown on Youtube? Brilliant! Says it all really…
Actually Yarmouth toilets are also 20p now as well
Seems like the solution is to stop trying to steal water and pay your own 20p
We.have 3 different sets of public toilets in Cowes, all free and all open all year round, don’t get me wrong they’re not the nicest but they are free to use and water always works. This island is starting to become a farce and soon it will just be the very poor and the holiday makers/ second home owners here, anyone who can just about afford will end up leaving.
No working toilets, Quite fitting for Sandown now days. It is a crap location. It’s been allowed to run down since the 80’s. Losing the three night clubs it had started the decline. The Council has done a crappy job in Sandown for years, it’s not so long ago that the sewage pipe used to empty just off Yaverland! At a so called beach resort.. Sandown truly is an eye saw and a total embarrassing shambles…..
Yarmouth Toilets are also pay to use. Ventnor toilets are run by Ventnor town council who finance them in a different way. Sandown replaced the old toilets which were past repairing and borrowed money which has to be repaid. The auto switch off of water typifies the council who don’t think things through. Well done for even finding toilets at Ryde, I guess you mean Appley.
Welcome to the Isle of Wight where the councils expect visitors and residents to pay for everything from parking to peeing.
Some of the island toilets are disgusting. The men’s in the ones adjacent to the bus station in Newport are absolutely disgusting. There are no urinals meaning men have to use the cubicles (only 3) instead. The seats are fixed meaning that some men piss over them and later users have to sit on wet seats. The hand washing facilities do not work and haven’t done for months, Fortunately they are free, but I think Newport town council should pay us to use them.
I’m afraid there needs to more free toilets all over the island, many people need to use them otherwise places will end up as urinals or many people will experience discomfort
Let’s be honest, the Isle of Wight doesn’t care. Shanklin sea front toilets dirty, Sandown lucky if you found one that works , Ryde appley beach, broken doors torn off leaking urinals.The contract cleaners don’t care either. Tourist and Residents get a raw deal with what we pay for then they make a TV program on channel 5 making out it’s a great place to visit. Well IOW we all need a dump, it bad enough swimming around in it thanks to southern water.
Good points but better than being closed completely
Unfortunately You have to pay at the Yarmouth toilets as well. Seems now that it’s an Island wide thing.
It’s all discusting all the bloody council tax we pay a holiday isle ..ye right why come here it’s a dump it’s not TURDTOWN for nothing the bogs on revertment still broken after 6 months..its pathetic where do you piss and crap?
Sadly, it’s a symptom of a council with zero commercial knowledge or interest.
They think the way to make money is charge for everything.
A bit like charging big parking fees so you have to pay to park your car. Most sensible people rather not, and avoid going there instead. Also like charging to park whilst using the gym. Totally stupid.why not encourage more people to use it?
The councils employ numpties who don’t know how the World works. Soon sandhill be a wasteland with noone left to tax.