CONCERNED beach hut owners are calling on the council to take action after they witnessed people going to the toilet behind their huts.

A number of residents have voiced fears over the potential public health risk that is being created while BCP Council only has a limited number of seaside toilet blocks open.

The hot and sunny weather over the past week, alongside the easing of lockdown measures, has seen more people spending time at the beach.

However, beach hut owners and have been left alarmed and disgusted by some of the scenes they have seen.

Eric and Anita Coates said they had no choice but to head home from their beach hut at Branksome Chine due to the problems.

“Our beach hut is our pride and joy,” said Mr Coates, a retired furniture factory production manager.

“There are no toilets open there but there were a lot of people at the beach.

“At the back behind our beach hut people were defecating, urinating and it just stank to the degree that we left the beach because we could not stand the smell of it.”

Ms Coates said the council should close the car parks as the current situation with limited toilets open presented a real public health risk.

Carole Gold and her husband own a beach hut near Bournemouth Pier and she said they have suffered similar experiences.

“We were walking along the seafront and we saw people coming out from behind the beach huts on several separate occasions,” said Ms Gold.

“It is disgusting to have people doing this. I am so angry because the council decided to open the car parks, a lot of people are going to the beach but they have not got the toilets open.

“It just seems crazy. I was incensed about it and do not understand the decisions made by the council.”

BCP Council has reopened the toilets next to the seafront office in Bournemouth and near Boscombe Overstrand building, while in Poole only the Sandbanks car park block is open. According to the council’s website these are likely to only be open until 4pm each day, with intermittent closures throughout the day for cleaning.

The local authority says some toilets remain closed at present while changes are made to ensure they are safe for public use.