Seaton Carew public toilets closed after vandalism

The facilities at Seaton Carew, located next to Sandy Car Park, were targeted overnight on Friday, February 27.

A hammer is believed to have been used to smash the card reader units on each door, although the vandals did not gain access to the toilets themselves.

A hammer is believed to have been used to smash the card reader units on each door. (Image: Hartlepool Borough Council)

The Seaton Carew toilet block was opened by Hartlepool Borough Council in 2024 as a replacement for outdated facilities at the nearby Clock Tower.

Councillor Owen Riddle, Chair of the Council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee, said: “The toilets are a cashless facility so there is no money on site.

“I can’t believe that people would stoop so low as to damage valuable public facilities in such a mindless way.

“I would ask anyone who witnessed the vandalism or who noticed anyone acting suspiciously in the area on Friday night/Saturday morning to contact Cleveland Police on 101.

“We will strive to get repairs carried out as quickly as possible, but it is inevitable that the toilets will be closed for a period of time.”

The damaged card readers will need to be removed and repaired off-site before being reinstalled, meaning the toilets will remain out of use for several weeks.

The risk of further vandalism makes it unsafe to leave the facility unlocked during repairs.

The new single-storey building includes nine standard unisex cubicles, two accessible cubicles, and a Changing Places unit that caters for people with significant disabilities.

The Changing Places unit, which operates with a Radar key instead of a card reader, remains open.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area around the time of the incident is urged to contact Cleveland Police on 101.