Sanitary bins to be added to Devon seaside toilets after row

Sanitary bins are to be installed at toilets in a seaside town following a row over a lack of waste disposal facilities.

Photographer and artist Becci Hey, 58, has been installing sanitary bins in Hope Cove’s public toilets for the past two years but South Hams District Council initially removed them.

A council spokesperson said: “We are working… to ensure that we provide these facilities in the Hope Cove toilets and all our other facilities as quickly as we can.”

Ms Hey said the decision would mean that waste disposal bins would be installed in both female and male toilets and she described the move as “a great achievement”.

She said: “It was something that had to be done.

“It was a huge moral issue, an environmental issue, a hygiene issue and it was something that is such a fundamental necessity for everyone’s dignity.”

Ms Hey – who was supported by harbour master Sean Hassall and other community members in her bid to install the bins – said she was “very happy with the decision” but would now wait for the council “to fulfill their promise”.

She said she wanted to thank all those who had “supported the cause”.

A spokesperson for South Hams District Council said: “The council recognises the importance of our public toilets to our residents and visitors and our council plan has committed to investing over £250,000 over the next three years to refurbish its 27 toilet blocks.

“This includes upgrading the sanitary facilities.”

The council added: “We agree that providing these facilities is important and disposing of the waste safely is equally as important.

“We appreciate the work that Ms Hey has done in supporting the facilities in Hope Cove and this is a great example of individuals helping support the wider community.”