SIR, — I am writing to inform you of a recent encounter of a smelly kind.
Myself and my two young children recently visited the play park in Saintfield. I visited the nearby public toilet facility located beside the park and expected it to be clean and of an acceptable standard.
But I was horrified at its condition and it would seem to have been like this for some considerable time. I could not enter the toilets and wouldn’t. You couldn’t even squat in them. They simply did not look or feel clean and there was a stench from the walls and floors. Toilet paper was strewn across the floor and I don’t believe any soap was available.
I did write to Newry, Mourne and Down Council about this matter but invariably it was a futile exercise. I do not know who was checking the toilets or supposed to be cleaning them, but they should be doing it more regularly or have more local pride.
The toilet block is a poorly designed building and I would recommend the local council to either close the facility or allocate some funds to repair it immediately. It presents a clear damage to public health along with a pollution risk. It poses a danger for all age groups which could lead to a serious problem.
Any resident or visitor to Saintfield needs a more superior public toilet facility as a necessity, not something akin to a third world country.
At present, I would advise the public around Saintfield to find a secluded spot somewhere as their public toilets are definitely off limits.
Yours etc,
MARIUS MULLIGAN,
Belfast.