NEW TOILET, BUT NO SOLUTION FOR LATE NIGHTS…Gavin O’Neill carrying out block work on the new toilets at Eden Street Enniskillen
IF NATURE calls after 1.30am don’t expect to find a toilet in Enniskillen’s town centre.
This week, amid concerns from both police and a local night-spot manager, the council discounted the possibility of providing late night-toilet facilities for Enniskillen night owls.
“The excuse that is often given to police is that the offender had no toilet facilities available,” explained a police spokesman.
“The offence involved is indecent behaviour and we do take it seriously.
The spokesman added: “It is worth pointing out that anyone caught urinating in public can be charged with indecent behaviour or indecent exposure, however, the PSNI would seek to resolve and deal with this proportionately.”
Meanwhile, the manager of a popular Enniskillen night-time hot-spot has said the council needs to step in.
“I firmly believe it is an issue that needs resolved as soon as possible,” he said.
“The night time customers consume fluids for as much as fours hours and then are asked to leave and may be on the street waiting on taxis for over an hour with nowhere to relieve themselves until they get home.”
However, he did note that the facility would need to be well-maintained, citing the possibility for a ‘pay to go’ service.
“This way you can try to cover some of the costs of security and building management.”
“How can you try to promote yourselves as a top venue when you aren’t providing basic washroom facilities?” he asked
Director of technical services at the Council, Gerry Knox, however, discounted the possibility of provisions being made available after a trial-run around 12 months ago led to vandalism.
“We are aware that there is an issue, but the difficulty lies with vandalism,” he said.
Currently the council operates four toilet blocks in Enniskillen. In winter, the toilets are closed around 8pm in the evening, while in summer, that is extended to around 10pm.
A new toilet block, he said, is currently being made available following the conversion of a vacant premises at Eden Street.
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