Toilets closed at seaside resort

VISITORS to one of the South-East’s most popular seaside towns will have a bit further to go to ‘spend a penny’ as state-of-the-art toilets costing in the region of €100,000 have been closed, 10 days after they opened.

The toilets at the landmark building at the end of Tramore’s promenade have been shut down after a host of technical problems, including blockages, ineffective flush buttons and slow filling cisterns.

The county council is pointing the finger of blame at the contractor. The contractors, however, are understood to be maintaining that it is not up to them to resolve the problem. They formally handed over the toilet block, in good working order, over the Whit Bank holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, the toilet block will remain closed indefinitely and with the summer season in full swing, the county council is investigating the possibility of providing portaloos at the site.

Because the construction was carried out as part of the sewage scheme, Waterford Co. Council were unable to state the precise cost of the toilet block element of the stone-built block which is one of the most modern in the country.

Conservative estimates, however, indicate the price tag is in excess of €100,000. The remainder of the building houses a sump, pump and screens which are an integral part of the sewage treatment system.

Blockages were said to be the main problem though a Co Council source said yesterday, “the flush push buttons are lovely to look at but they are not practical for use by children or the elderly.”