People could be caught short as temporary toilets in Teignmouth could be removed

Teignmouth is set to face a public toilet shortage on the Den, near the busy seafront and town centre, for several weeks as the summer season approaches.

The temporary toilet block, which has served the area for the past two years, has planning permission only until March 31. Teignbridge District Council has confirmed it does not plan to extend this temporary planning consent. The facilities were initially installed in October 2022 to address the gap left by the closure of the old toilets during renovations at the former Beachcomber site. The plan was always for new toilets to be built by Teignmouth Town Council at the old aquarium site near the pier.

While demolition of the former aquarium was completed last June, construction of the new toilets has yet to begin. The town council only selected a preferred contractor at its January meeting and has been working to finalise the construction timeline.

Town clerk Iain Wedlake expressed hope that the construction schedule might be accelerated: "There may be some opportunities to speed up the construction timetable for the toilets on the Den."

Teignmouth mayor Cate Williams also emphasised the urgency of the situation: "We are pushing the need to move as quickly as we can."

Unlike many other towns in the district, public toilets in Teignmouth fall under the jurisdiction of the town council, rather than Teignbridge District Council. The council remains optimistic that the new facilities will be completed as soon as possible to meet the demands of the busy summer season.

In the meantime, residents and visitors may need to prepare for limited public toilet access during this period of transition.