There is uproar in a coastal village after Cornwall Council started consultation to pull its funding towards the running of public toilets, which are regularly used by visitors to a popular beach. The toilets are likely to close as the parish council can’t afford to run them and locals fear people will start defecating in the nearby sand dunes as a result.

The toilets will now close as the parish council can’t afford to run them and locals fear people will start defecating in the nearby sand dunes as a result.

A huge turnout of residents met us in Porthcothan Bay, between Newquay and Padstow, to air their concerns that without the only toilets in the area remaining open, tourists will go elsewhere which will have a detrimental effect on local businesses. There is also a real fear that people will start using the beach as a public toilet, which happened during the Covid lockdowns. Locals worry this will attract rats to the dunes.

St Eval parish councillor Mary Neale describes the situation as a “looming crisis” and sums up the concerns of many of those who live in or near the beautiful cove.

She said: “There is a large car park for the beach here and in it there are public toilets – formerly run by Cornwall Council which are open April to October and now run by volunteers from the parish council. There is a 20p charge on the door and, up to now, a small amount of annual funding from Cornwall Council which has gone towards cleaning and maintenance costs.

“The council has now withdrawn funding and the parish council will no longer be able to afford to keep the toilets open. Furthermore, the council is going to install cameras on the car park with number plate recognition and charge 24/7 – which given the nature of the car park situation and layout will lead to absolute bedlam, outrage and indignation from locals and tourists alike. Cornwall Council will make a lot more money from the car park and in it there will be a toilet block that is closed.”

Mrs Neale added: “The prospect for 2025 is a crowded beach with no public toilets. People will be defecating in the dunes, the caves and the sea. Meanwhile the council gets all the money from the car park – something rotten in the state of Denmark.”

In most other areas where public toilets have been devolved from Cornwall Council, the local town and parish councils have been able to afford to take them on, but St Eval says it can’t. The parish council would be happy to run them if the car park was also transferred to it in order to fund the maintenance of the toilets. However, the loos are in one of 25 car parks which Cornwall Council is looking to transfer to its arm’s length business Corserv and a private enforcement company.

The parish council has received £5,000 a year from Cornwall Council towards the annual cost of £13,000 to maintain the beach toilets. The fund was increased to £10,000 over the past two years to help with the transferral to the parish.

Mick Baker, vice-chairman of the parish council, said: “The cost of the toilets could be offset from the car park but without that and with Cornwall Council pulling the grant they give us, looking after the toilets is too much expense for us.”

Locals say people have already started using areas of the car park to relieve themselves including behind the toilet block. Residents point out that unlike most other beach destinations in Cornwall, there are no other toilet facilities in Porthcothan Bay.

They saw an increase of people going to the toilet in the dunes and on the coast path during the Covid lockdowns – and even leaving the area strewn with toilet paper – and are very concerned this will happen again. They also fear it will attract rats, which were a problem on the beach many years ago before the toilet block was built.

The toilets were built by a local man several decades ago in a bid to stop people pooing in the sand dunes, which became infested by vermin. “I’m sure people will start again,” said Cllr Stephen Rushworth, who represents the area at Cornwall Council. He said there are no other stakeholders who can take on the running of the toilets.

“We’re not a Third World country – they cannot close the toilets. Where are the lifeguards going to go if they need to use the toilet? As well as that, locals will lose the car park which is free in the winter and which will now start charging all-year round,” added the councillor.

A number of business owners in the area, including Barney and Emma Barnett who run Porthcothan Bay Stores, are very concerned that without a public toilet serving the beach, visitors will stop coming and their livelihoods will be affected.

Chris Bellison runs Berryfields holiday park and café at the top of the hill. He worries that the lack of a public convenience will affect his guests, and is also concerned that his business may face a deluge of people walking up from the beach to use his toilets. “It could really impact us,” he told me.

Windy Miller runs Waves Surf School. His clients use the toilets and like many of those who run businesses in the area, he has to use them too. “People are going to want to go elsewhere if there’s no usable toilet. It’s a basic right.”

Porthcothan Bay’s sand dunes are owned by a private trust. John Robinson, one of the trustees, said: “We are obviously extremely concerned about the state of the sand dunes. We are desperately trying to get them regenerated and if people start defecating and all the rest of it in the dunes, it’s going to be a disaster. What do we do? Close them off?”

Toby Ray is an artist who paints in the bay. He says the toilets should remain open for health reasons. He suffers from Crohn’s disease, the chronic inflammatory bowel disorder, and says the toilets are vital for people like him and other disabled visitors to the beach.

Cornwall Council has responded to the concerns. A spokesperson said: “Over the last decade we have successfully transferred the ownership or management of more than 200 public toilets across Cornwall to local city, town and parish councils and community organisations as part of our devolution programme.

“We have provided grants to a few communities to support them during this transfer including an annual grant of £10,000 to help St Eval Parish Council take on management of public toilets at Porthcothan Bay.

“Due to increased demand and rising costs of many of the services we provide for our residents, we are having to look at different ways to help balance our budget for the coming year and we are currently asking residents to have their say on proposals in our budget consultation – Cornwall Council Draft Budget 2025-26 | Let’s Talk Cornwall.

“We will be speaking to town and parish councils affected by the proposals so we can support them in plans to safeguard the future of assets important to their communities.”