Cornwall holiday hotspot to charge tourists to use TOILETS

BRITS heading to Cornwall this summer will have to PAY to use the toilets – but locals won’t.

The small town of St Ives, one of the most popular holiday hotspots, has said they will start charging visitors who travel to the area to use the public bathrooms.

2

Town clerk Louise Dwelly told local media: “Many councils across the country are closing their public toilets because of the huge cost.

“But we understand the importance of public toilets to our visitor economy and this is not an option in a seaside town with beaches.”

They added that other parts of Cornwall had already introduced charges, including Newquay and Penzance.

The costs will cover the maintenance and upkeep, which costs around £135,000 a year due to repairs and cleaning.

However, they said that locals won’t have to pay as they already pay council tax, which will also fund the upkeep.

While the cost is yet to be revealed, tourists will be able to use contactless payment to use the toilets.

They also said they would be looking at ways to avoid second home owners and holiday let owners dodging the charges by, for example, sharing access codes.

St Ives residents have slammed the number of tourists who visit the area, claiming they are being priced out of their own town and feel like they’re “operatives in a theme park”.

Tourists spend a whopping £85million per year in St Ives as they lust over its sandy beaches and turquoise waters – with around 540,000 day trippers and more than 220,000 visitors staying in the town every year.

St Ives also faces a shortage of rentals; in 2021, while there were more than 1,000 properties in the town available for short-term holiday let, there was only one long-term house available to rent.

One local said she is even about to be homeless due to the housing issue.

Cornwall is already expecting another bumper staycation year – but could see busy attractions and booked up hotels.

A shortage in staff across the hospitality industry has resulted in some owners being unable to open their restaurants, while others have been forced to convert their holiday lodges to staff lodges.

But last summer, holidaymakers in Cornwall complained in their hoards after the seaside region was unable to cope with the record number of visitors while the travel bans were in place.

Visit Cornwall’s Malcom Bell warned anyone planning to visit the region may not have much choice unless they book sooner rather than later.

2