Local councillors are demanding action after it was revealed that Thornton Hough’s public toilets have now been closed for five years, leaving visitors, sports teams and residents with no proper facilities.
The toilets next to the village green were first closed in 2020 and permanently shut down as part of council budget cuts in 2022 — but campaigners say the situation has gone on far too long.
The issue came to a head at a recent Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee meeting, where councillors received an update confirming that while one toilet can be opened at weekends or on request, the rest remain unusable and unsafe.
A report to councillors estimated that it would cost £30,000 to bring the facilities back into working order and £32,000 a year to run them. However, the Council admitted no funding has been set aside.
Cllr Helen Cameron spoke out about the growing impact on the local community:
“There’s high demand for sport in the area — around 30 people regularly turn up to play at the Thornton Hough facilities.
Now they don’t even have a toilet, so although I found it disgusting they were going behind the toilets to relieve themselves, I understood why. It’s just not good enough.”
Cllr Cherry Povall, who represents Thornton Hough as part of the Clatterbridge ward, said the village had been left behind:
“Thornton Hough is one of Wirral’s most picturesque villages and attracts visitors all year round. The fact that its toilets have been left locked up and decaying for half a decade shows where the Council’s priorities lie. We’re pushing for real progress — not excuses.”
Cllr Mary Jordan, said residents deserve better and urged the Council to think creatively:
“People are rightly fed up. This is about dignity and basic public services. We’ll keep pressing officers to explore every possible option — community partnerships, grants, or external funding — to get these toilets reopened.”
Despite council officers warning that no “spend to save” business case could justify the costs, councillors have pledged to keep the pressure on until a solution is found.
“It shouldn’t take five years and a public campaign just to get toilets open in a popular village,” Cllr Povall added. “We owe it to residents to fix this.”
Residents can read the full report in the October 23 Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee papers on the Wirral Council website.
