Short-changed by local councils

The beach was crowded with holidaymakers enjoying the sun, sea and sand.

They do not, however, get a fair deal from our local councils.

The ladies’’ toilets by the Norfolk Garden tennis courts were once again flooded.

Last year, I had to report when a cistern pipe became disconnected and water was flooding out.

I asked for an emergency number to be displayed, but this has not happened.

This time, the washbasins were not emptying and the water would not switch off.

Apart from the discomfort of wet feet and shoes, sooner or later someone is likely to slip up and have a serious accident.

All other public utilities display an emergency contact number, why cannot the council’s? So much for health and safety!

In the car park on The Green, a different problem had arisen.

Due to overcrowding, some vehicles had been parked between the rows of correctly parked cars, thus blocking off their exit.

One car was desperately trying to leave but did not seem to have much chance without damage to one or other vehicle.

Considering the vast amount of money which must be collected at times like this, a hot Sunday in the summer season, it should not be too much too ask that the car park is checked occasionally.

If it is full, a notice should be displayed to that effect, with directions to the nearest alternative, probably the swimming pool car park?

I fear that some of Sunday’s visitors will not have taken home a favourable report.

M.Lees

Granville Road

Littlehampton

n A spokeswoman responded: “Arun District Council is sorry to hear of the problems that Mrs Lees encountered on Littlehampton seafront at the weekend and would like to thank her for raising these concerns.

“The council appreciates that it gets extremely busy on the seafront when the weather is warm and is keen to ensure that nothing gets in the way of visitors enjoying their days out.

“The council’s cleansing contractors carry out regular checks of the public toilets on the seafront throughout the day, fixing any problems as soon as possible when they are discovered, to ensure that the toilets remain clean and safe to use. As part of these regular checks on Sunday, contractors became aware of flooding in the toilets near Norfolk Gardens, caused by sand blocking the hand-washing units, and acted as quickly as they could to stop it.

“Car parks run by Arun are also checked regularly by enforcement officers, who will issue a parking ticket to any driver found to be causing an obstruction with their vehicle.

“However, when it is very busy, it is not always possible for an enforcement officer to be on site at the exact moment that a vehicle may be causing an obstruction.

“In such cases, visitors are able to approach the council’s foreshore officers, who can put out announcements over the public address system asking a driver to return to his or her vehicle if it is in somebody else’s way.

“The council takes reports from members of the public very seriously and as a result of Mrs Lees’ comments, we will review our car park signage to determine what improvements, if any, can be made.

“Thanks to the lovely weather, it was an exceptionally busy weekend in Littlehampton and council staff will always strive to make their facilities, parks and foreshores the best they can possibly be, for residents and tourists alike.”