Police hunt for person spreading poo on walls of public toilets in Mid-Kent Shopping Centre in Allington

Police are to make daily visits to a public loo and CCTV is to be installed in an effort to catch vandals who have been smearing human excrement over the walls.

The increased action follows an intervention by Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant who branded the toilets at the Mid-Kent Shopping Centre in Allington as “disgusting and deplorable.”

The state of the loos at the shopping centre off Castle Road was drawn to the MP’s attention by one of the local ward councillors, Stan Forecast (Con), after he received complaints from residents.

Cllr Forecast said: “To be honest, the toilets have always been pretty disgusting ever since I was about 12 and went to school nearby.

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“But they have got worse. It appears as though someone regularly defecates on the floor and then smears the excrement up the walls.”

The shopping centre is owned by LCP Properties, but the toilets are owned by Maidstone Borough Council. They are the only surviving toilets which the council owns that are not situated in one of the town’s parks.

Cllr Forecast said: “They are absolutely essential because Aunt Sally’s – the cafe in the centre run by Sandra Chadwick – needs to be able to offer its customers toilet facilities by law.

“In addition, just across Castle Road is the library, which has no toilets of its own, but is used by many clubs, with both elderly and very young visitors, who need access to a toilet.

“That’s not to mention the shoppers at the centre.”

Mrs Grant organised a roundtable meeting on site with local businesses, ward councillors, a representative from LCP, and John Edwards, the council’s property manager present.

The immediate outcome is that MBC has agreed to give the toilets a deep clean and that CCTV will be installed in the first week of July, in order to identify those abusing the facilities.

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At a subsequent meeting with Kent Police, Mrs Grant secured a promise from the local PC, Nicholas Benson, that he would visit the toilets every day to deter anti-social behaviour.

In the long term, the council has agreed to pass ownership of the toilets to the landlords of the shopping centre, with the condition that no extra cost is passed onto local businesses, so that their centre maintenance staff can ensure the toilets are kept fresh.

Mrs Grant said: “I was absolutely disgusted with what I saw in those toilets.

“My staff took pictures, but I am afraid I have decided not to publish most of the images because they are so detestable.

“On a commercial level, this problem deters people from going to what is a great food and retail complex, the success of which is crucial for the local economy.

“I was therefore pleased with the action plan agreed at the meeting and hopefully we will see the situation sorted out very shortly, for the long term.”

Cllr Forecast said: “The toilets have been a carbuncle in an otherwise delightful local community setting.”

“I am thrilled that a strong and appropriate action plan has been agreed, finally resolving a long-term issue which is great news for residents and the local economy.”

A Maidstone council spokesman said: “The public toilets have recently been targeted by anti-social behaviour and misuse, which has resulted in the council heightening its cleaning regime.

“In addition, MBC is working with Kent Police to resolve the issue, while continuing to provide an acceptable level of service to the public.

“The toilets in the Mid Kent Shopping Centre are cleaned twice a day and any failings in standards will be rectified.

“There are plans to refurbish the toilets in the near future.”

The Mid Kent Shopping Centre was opened in 1969 and is home to Waitrose as well as a number of other retail and service businesses.