MACHATTIE Park's toilets are being left in such a state of filth that they are almost unusable, says a bus driver who has had to warn teachers not to let young students go inside the facilities.
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Kay Thompson, a bus driver who uses the toilets during shift breaks, believed the facilities in the park hadn't been cleaned in months when she spoke to the Advocate recently and said they lacked the most basic amenities, such as working soap dispensers and toilet roll holders.
And that was on a good day.
However, Bathurst Regional Council says the toilets are being cleaned twice a day, but council's hands are tied because vandals are damaging the facilities.
Among the complaints are that people are urinating on the toilet seats and floor, stuffing full toilet rolls into toilets and breaking toilet roll holders and soap dispensers.
Bathurst Regional Council director of engineering services Darren Sturgiss said vandalism is a major problem in public toilets across the city.
"Soap dispensers are regularly damaged or removed; these are replaced when time and stock of spare units allows," he said.
"Toilet roll holders are also regularly broken, and toilet paper stolen, thrown around, used to block toilets or start fires.
"For example, yesterday (Wednesday, June 26), between opening and 11.30am, two toilet roll holders had been forced open and the paper stolen at one of the public toilet blocks."
Mr Sturgiss said that, generally, any damage that can be repaired by the cleaners is repaired.
"Otherwise, the cleaners report the issue to council. We have had some delay in replacing items at times, largely due to supply issues," he said.
"We are currently unable to source the toilet roll holder units used in the public toilets. We have used what we had in stores, and the local distributor is also out of stock."
Ms Thompson also said one of the cubicles in the Machattie Park toilets is always locked and not open to the public.
Council confirmed this, saying there isn't anything wrong with the toilet.
"We have an ongoing issue where it appears a member of the public keeps leaving the cubicle locked. The toilet is functioning and has been reopened a number of times by cleaners and council staff," Mr Sturgiss said.
He also confirmed that Ms Thompson had made complaints about the state of the women's toilet in Machattie Park two weeks ago.
As a result, a scheduled cleaning was brought forward on that day, after the complaint was received, to address the concerns over the condition of the toilets, he said.
"During this clean, a blocked toilet was noted where someone had emptied an entire toilet roll, possibly multiple, into a toilet," he said.
"This blockage was also cleared that day."
Mr Sturgiss said that, unfortunately, complaints about public toilets are very common.
"As they are not staffed, when these facilities are vandalised or used inappropriately by the community, the mess will generally be found by the public prior to the next scheduled clean," he said.
'The state they are in'
Ms Thompson said she was concerned for those who have to use the facilities.
"Us bus drivers are sick of going to the toilets in Machattie Park because of the state they are in," she said.
She said there are urine stains all over the floor and on every toilet and faecal matter rubbed into the floor.
"There's dirt that has been there for months; same with the stains - they've been there for months," she said.
"In the disabled toilet, the toilet holder is broken. The tap is broken and the two hand-sanitisers are broken. That's just in the disabled toilet.
"I'm using it for work, but you have different buses coming into this town with tourists on them.
"These are elderly people or children. And they have to go to these toilets.
"And Bathurst as a city has got big functions coming up here in the next month. Where is everyone going to go to the toilet?
"They are going to have to use these filthy toilets. It's not a good look and it's not good enough.
"The other day when I went there, every single toilet, even the disabled one, was full of s--t, paper and p--s all over the seat.
"It's a health risk for everyone.
"All these kids on these other buses; I have to warn the teachers.
"When I was there, there was a load of kids there. I said to the teacher, 'whatever you do, get in there and have a look at those cubicles before you send those kids in'.
"I've got to use them, everyone has to use them.
"I think about the young kids and the elderly people who get off the bus.
"I just think they are going to get a shock when they go in there."
