Yet more mindless vandalism has forced the closure of toilets on Ryde Esplanade and has left the town council with a big clean-up bill. The gents toilets at Eastern Gardens, near Cornwall Slip, have been closed up – just as the weather turns and the Summer season begins – due to damage caused by persons unknown. Holes have been smashed through walls, panels pulled down and mirrors smashed. Ryde Town Council will now have to fix the damage caused, all at a cost to the taxpayer. The decision has been taken to keep the toilets closed, even when the repairs have been completed, until a ‘permanent solution’ can be found to rectify the constant problem of vandalism. The ladies’ loos remain open as normal.
MINDLESS VANDALISM FORCES CLOSURE OF SEAFRONT LOOS IN RYDE
- Trending
- Comments
- Latest
MURDER ARRESTS AS MAN IN 50s STABBED TO DEATH IN SANDOWN
3rd July 2026
BODY OF MAN FOUND ON PATHWAY IN BINSTEAD
29th June 2026
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK
-
SHOPLIFTER WHO STOLE FROM B&M TOLD TO STOP “TAKING THINGS WITHOUT PAYING”
-
MURDER ARRESTS AS MAN IN 50s STABBED TO DEATH IN SANDOWN
-
BODY OF MAN FOUND ON PATHWAY IN BINSTEAD
-
STABBING LEAVES MAN FIGHTING FOR LIFE – POLICE CORDON OFF SANDOWN HOME
-
GROYNE POLE CLIMB ENDS IN POTENTIALLY LIFE-CHANGING FALL AT BEMBRIDGE
.
Sign up to our daily newsletter
Sign up to the daily newsletter and to get our top Isle of Wight news stories sent to you inbox every day.

© 2024 Island Echo Ltd. (10015091) is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered address: Fortis House, Cothey Way, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 1QT. VAT: 358464857 (V5)























































































I wonder whether these nerds had a history of doing this at school.
If we knew who it was, we would only have to look at the parents….When it comes to schools, disaplin doesn’t exist….Welcome too woke Britain….
“Disaplin”?
When it comes to school’s, it seems spelling doesn’t exist either.
It’s schools, not school’s. You’d better get you own grammar right before criticising others.
“your” not “you”
‘you own’ ?your – people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
… When it comes to the possessive ‘s’ too?
A real contender for typo of the week.
“Discipline” would be much better.
to, not too.
You’ll be here all day if you start correcting spelling and grammar in comments. Islanders have the worst written English skills in the UK. Slightly better than a chimpanzee but only slightly.
You missed out a comma, Garry.
Can’t wait for the day these s**** are old and incontinent. The best prevention would be cameras on those entering and exiting.
Perhaps the 20 million pounds Ryde is expected to receive, the town council could for once spend it wisely and install some forms of high security systems along the Esplanade, and in the meantime how about putting some bobbies on the beat?
Too unfit to walk now.
Or at least not plaster board walls,why will it cost parish council? Thought hole point of community councils was to have people on that are able to volunteer to fix things, clean etc .
Understand that as it is almost pointless capturing them on camera or in the flesh as they will be classified as children, likely bought up on benefits, hence them being here in the first place, by parent or more rarely parents who didn’t really want them but welcome the little work and lucrative lifestyle they provide.
So courts do nothing as do the parents, so toilets ought to be built from bare concrete blocks, solid stainless steel pan users provide their own tissue and steel sink built into wall for handwashing
If desperate this would suffice and save a fortune
Definitely – squat and thrust hole in the ground. Although the yobs will probably block it with garbage.
Holes have been smashed through walls
clearly those responsible are more interested in watching others use the toilet, or perhaps they had other reasons for wanting a hole in the wall, between cubicles.
I totally agree they need to put cameras in place to stop this yawning again and again . I hope the council ‘read these comments and can the echo pass this on or investigate why toilets are becoming a place to wreck and then not allow people to use a facility which is needed in a seaside town. Even the bus station has no toilets which is not good .
Catch them and bang them up, whatever age they are.
They are ruining it for others.
Goes to show the state of the Uk today…Absolutely no discipline or respect for any authority. Those were the days when the Bobby could clip you round the ear, school detention put the fear of god in you and you were petrified of what either parent would do/say. We have gone way too soft as a society and pandered to the do gooders. A crime should be punished and prison first and foremost harsh it is after all a punishment with rehabilitation a secondary aspect. There are no deterrents anymore…
“The decision has been taken to keep the toilets closed, even when the repairs have been completed, until a ‘permanent solution’ can be found to rectify the constant problem of vandalism.”
The only solution to vandalism is to lock vandals up in prison and keep them off the streets.
There is no deterrent these days.
the solution will no doubt be in the form of having to pay to open the outer doors.
The fact is that it costs about £900 per week to keep someone in prison. So who is going to pay for that, You? Through taxes?
Prisons are full, you’ll need to double the population from near 90,000 to what, 180,000 spaces. A huge building project again financed by the tax payer.
If you really want to pay more taxes, you’ll get chance to vote soon for someone who will promise the earth. Just make sure they deliver, and not lie to you.
10% of the prison population is foreigners – deport them – plenty of space left then
Well, I, for one, would be happy to hear of a massive prison building programme.
180,000 more cells? Fine. Build more if needed.
But, the Courts need to play their part and start giving out stiffer sentences.
Yes, it would cost billions but I’d rather a prison building programme than the money wasted on so many other projects (the £80 billion, or whatever it is, spent on HS2 springs to mind).
I wish they would bring back borstals, not many “guests” of St Swithans ever wanted to come back, the monks actually knew what discipline meant and used it!
It was after all an ‘Approved School’ and iin a lot of cases had the desired effect.
Reg Dennis what a stupid name
What like labour?? sir bloody keir starmer he was the git that wanted the 10s of thousands illegals to have benifits and when in power want them all to come over free of charge ..you have been warned..
A simple, but probably unpopular answer:
Make the toilets pay to use.
If you have to pay a quid to use them yes, it will be a nuisance to most users but it may well deter the vandals.
Make it 10 pounds, we all have plenty of money!
Maybe 50 pounds so the kids think twice before entering. Restrict access to card payments only and you would have a list of suspects when vandalism occurs again.
Just let people P I S S up Walls
Bobbies on the beat ! LMAO
Throw them in Jail ! LMAO
Bring back national service ! LMAO
The truth is although unpalatable would be to CLOSE all public toilets and accept the idiots have won.At least that would save the town council some money which could go towards other things.
I personally would be happy to see these idiots dealt with harshly but lets accept it will never happen
And therein lies the problem, ‘let’s accept..’. Exactly the reason behind this state of affairs. That lackadaisical british attitude of lie down and do nothing and then being verbose about the problems. Wake up and demand something is done to protect the services we pay for. To start with, demand that Island Roads get off their behinds and install CCTV which is obligatory under the terms of their PFI contracts.
In the last two evenings there has been large gatherings of youths in the town and esplanade. Maybe the police could do their job and police the town?
Why don’t they make them pay toilets. I would be happy to pay .
Money would pay for a person to keep them clean and in order..
Name and shame the parents for bad parenting.
Oh no, I’m in trouble. The men’s toilets are shut in Ryde town, there are no close toilets in town, now the seafront. For an old codger of a certain age, no toilets are a nightmare. The way things are going, I’ll be needing nappies to get home 🙂
Wow, boomers jumping to conclusions again. They don’t know who it was. Local junkies and drunks use this loo a lot, often seen punch ups there as I drive past. Just as many (if not more) adults happy to smash stuff up than kids.
Don’t be daft. This has been done by some thick kid trying to act the big man in front of his retarded mates.
When and if they catch them, take them home and smash their toilets and bathroom to bits.
Then you’d be no better than them.
In the days of yore there was a toilet attendant, we didn’t see these issues then but hey who can afford one now days, and then why should one be needed ?
Maybe some of these people on benefits could attend the toilets to earn their crust.
Unfortunately the new toilets down at Colwell Bay are likely to be a target for our local 8 window licker, brain dead, inbreeding neanderthals that are being produced by 8 usless local “parents” (I use that description “parents” extremely loosely).
But there will be CCTV fitted on the front areas and because so many local residents now all know who these toe rags names are, any and all damage repairs costs should be sent straight to those 8 “parents”. If they cannot discipline their own child, then make them pay for it! I publicly refuse to pay for any costs to vandalised property in the west wight any longer. I’m done with these hideous 8 yobs.
Your language doesn’t exactly recommend YOU to me, either.
CCTV at the entrance would be cheaper
Private security patrolling at night would probably be cheaper than constantly repairing them
Why have a mirror, tiles etc. just breeze block structure and steel pan or hole? No door just zig zag entry into cubicle. Needs to be so minimalist nothing can get damaged.
There has been a big hole in those toilets for quite a while now. Last time I went in months back there was a fully dressed man sat the other side of the hole which made my need to relieve myself reduce lol. Maybe if they fixed the initial hole in a timely manner morons wouldn’t have had the idea to commit further damage.
What sad lives vandals must lead with such low intelligence that they can’t make anything to get satisfaction. They only know how to hit things until they break. “Ug, me break” They must realise that’s they are not normal and no one likes them, only other cretins.
Vandals are only building a live of misery for themselves, if only they put the same energy in learning or helpful life would be a happy contented journey.
Society is partly to blame not allowing parents to give spank the little monsters and courts telling the not to be naughty again or you will get another chance.
Bring back the birch. We never had this level of indiscipline years ago.
The comments say more about the island than the damaged toilets. What vile judgemental bigotry sits inside people’s minds until the requisite target is found to unleash upon.
The answer appears to be that a lot of people carry a lot of hate inside.
Another do gooding, excuser – get lost broc – these little p ricks deserve a kicking
Exactly mindless. Find em lock em up
Obviously mindless yobs at work, but strange to put what looks like 12mm plasterboard in a moist environment. The same amount of damage would have been caused by someone’s elbow if they had slipped. As said, blocks and stainless would have been a better long term investment. I used to admire the gents loo near the pier entrance. A real classic Victorian/Edwardian toilet block with smart tiled walls and floors, porcelain enamel sanitary ware with polished copper piping and brass taps. 8 cubicles with mahogany doors and fitted with brass 1d slot machine. It was modernised in the mid 60’s with the introduction with one of those grey, funny looking, foot pedal operated electric hand dryers. They spent the money back then and it lasted 60 years.