Council flushes away nearly £2,000 on loo light

By John Hill on February 25, 2009 9:36 AM |

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Council workers may have flushed away up to £2,000 by leaving the lights on in a disused toilet for almost a year.

Tower Hamlets Council closed the Isle of Dogs’ only public conveniences last April in a bid to save £50,000 a year on maintenance – but forgot to turn off the power before it padlocked the doors.

It will now have to pick up a four-figure bill for the blunder, as it is estimated that the Manchester Road toilets cost £2,000 a year to light.

Blackwall and Cubitt Town councillor Phil Briscoe tipped off the council in January after spotting the glow on his way home. But instead of simply turning off the light, it ordered EDF Energy to cut off the supply to the entire toilet building.

EDF pledged to do so “when it had a crew in the area�?, but the light is still on more than a month later.

Cllr Briscoe said: “It’s a classic case of local authority incompetence and bureaucracy. When you see the cost that it’s racked up, it’s quite amazing.�?

Island residents are desperate for another facility in the area, but the council argues that contractor JC DeCaux has “had some difficulty�? acquiring an alternative site near Island Gardens station.

Cllr Briscoe said: “It’s become one of the biggest issues on this end of the Island. It’s not like the building was closed because of safety issues. It was closed to save money.�?

Paul Aldridge, who sells coffee, ice cream and sandwiches from the Magic Kiosk in Island Gardens Park, said he had to turn several visitors back through the foot tunnel to Greenwich to find the nearest toilet.

He said: “I probably get asked about 10 times a day.

“It’s worse in the summer because you get a lot of cyclists and coach parties passing through the park. Some elderly people come up and get a cup of tea and an ice cream, and it’s a real problem that there’s not a loo here.

“You get about 500 to 600 cyclists here on a good day, and what will end up happening is that people will have to go in the bushes.

“Visitors come here from all over the world, and it’s a bit embarrassing having to explain that there’s no toilet.�?

Paul has even investigated operating a portable toilet himself, and has been quoted a price of about £21 a week.

He said: “I’d be happy to hold the keys here and they can secure it, if that’s a worry. But I’m not looking forward to summer in some ways if this situation carries on.�?

A council spokeswoman said: “We’ve instructed EDF to disconnect the electricity and are chasing them to complete this work as a matter of urgency.

“We’re investigating the possibility of installing an automatic toilet at the south side of Millwall Park to provide an alternative facility, but this will need planning permission before we can proceed.�?