Repeated acts of vandalism at public toilets in Abingdon has prompted a new scheme, with cafes being asked to allow people to use their facilities free of charge.

The public toilets at The Charter, and in Abbey Meadows, have frequently been closed in recent years due to vandal attacks.

Now the town council has asked cafes in the town if they will sign up to allowing shoppers and passers-by to use their toilets free of charge, in case the public toilets are out of action.

READ MORE: Car smashes into cafe in Burford 

Coffee Aroma in High Street has already agreed to take part, and has a sign in its window highlighting the scheme.

The toilet block in Abbey Meadows was vandalised twice in 2022, leaving Vale of White Horse District Council with a ‘costly repair bill’.

Oxford Mail: On the second occasion vandals ripped all the metal toilet roll holders off the walls and set fire to them and to the hand wash units. 

Every bin was smashed up, air vents ripped out, reinforced windows smashed, baby changing units damaged and doors pelted with rocks leaving the facilities closed until repairs could be done.

The toilets in The Charter, near the multi-storey car park, have been closed repeatedly due to vandalism.

Andy Crawford, cabinet member for finance and property, welcomed the town council's initiative to reach out to cafes in the town.

He said: "I know schemes like this have worked well in other places including Richmond.

Oxford Mail: The Charter in Abingdon"There's obviously no charge but then sometimes people who do use the toilets might stop for a coffee or a cake.

READ MORE: Fire crews battle house blaze in village 

"These repeated vandal attacks on the toilets are incredibly frustrating.

"Once the toilets are damaged it can mean we have to close for six to eight weeks and I believe the toilets in The Charter are closed at the moment.

"We want to fix them in a way that ensures they are not vandalised again - the plan is to get them back open but also charge a very small fee for people to use them.

"People could use a debit card to gain access - the hope is this would deter the petty vandalism."

Oxford Mail: Vale councillpr Andy CrawfordIt is understood that vandalism to the two public toilets has cost about £20,000 in the past few years.

Mr Crawford estimated that it would cost about £200,000 to build new public toilets in The Charter.

He added: "We have to think carefully about spending that much money in an area where the buildings could have quite a short shelf life."

Plans to improve Abingdon town centre are now being considered by councillors following the publication of the Central Abingdon Regeneration Framework (CARF) document.

It looks at major changes for The Charter, including demolishing the multi-storey car park, and also considers plans for Abbey House, and the former Upper Reaches hotel.

Help support trusted local news 

Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe 

As a digital subscriber you will get: 

  • Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website 
  • Advert-light access 
  • Reader rewards 
  • Full access to our app 

About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.