‘Mindless hooliganism’ – After just six months, Wick’s revamped public toilets once again closed due to vandalism
The recently refurbished Whitechapel public toilets in Wick, thought to be almost vandal proof, have been closed again due to vandalism.
The public toilets reopened in the summer after almost £400k had been spent on upgrading the facility and strengthening it against repeated attacks by vandals which had led to its closure in December 2019.
Earlier this afternoon, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7.50am on Monday, 23 December, 2024, officers received a report of damage at public toilets on Whitechapel Road, Wick.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
On July 1, local councillors gathered outside the public toilets to applaud its high-tech design and inclusion of CCTV cameras which would help deter further acts of vandalism.
Wick and East Caithness councillor Raymond Bremner had led the way through the all-new Whitechapel toilets which combined state-of-the-art toilets and shower cubicles with a series of lockers outside, overseen by CCTV cameras monitoring 24/7 for the type of unruly behaviour that had seen the toilets closed several years before.
Highland Council had called it a “shining example of partnership in action” and how necessary the toilets were for a town that attracts large numbers of visitors due to the popularity of the NC500.
Norbloc Construction Ltd, Halkirk carried out the full refurbishment at a cost of £395K.
On hearing about the recent closure, one local man took to social media to write: “Absolutely infuriating, will they leave nothing alone, we have literally waited years to get the toilets reopened and now because of mindless hooliganism they are closed again.”
Another stated: “Is anybody surprised this has happened? Complete and utter waste of public money.”
After the new toilets opened, a Highland Council spokesperson said: “Work commenced on site in March 2023 and took nine months to complete. It was decided late on into the project to include internal and external CCTV which were the last elements of the project to be completed.”
On the day of the opening, Wick’s provost Jan McEwan said: “There are various measures in place to counteract vandalism and I hope the local community will report any antisocial behaviour in the area to stop this from happening again.
“There is 24-hour camera surveillance to help protect this asset in the town. If we want to improve the town we have to look after what we have.”