Families have spoken out in frustration as the toilets of a popular Tameside park have been left locked during the summer holidays. Hyde Park, in Hyde, is one of the borough's best loved attractions for residents of all ages.
Walk through the picturesque surroundings and signposts point the way to toilet facilities at the park. But some residents have told the Manchester Evening News they are being put off visiting the site because the facilities are shut.
The toilets are understood to have been closed during most of the year for a number of years. Tameside Council has opened the facilities up in recent summer holidays - but not this year.
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Hyde's only public toilet is at the town hall, more than half a mile away on the other side of the M67 motorway. Carolyn Winterbottom, 54, says she has put her name forward as a key holder for the toilets.
She has volunteered with youth offenders for 10 years and walks her dog in the park every day - but Carolyn says she has been 'fobbed off' after putting her name forward to the council. She said: "Hyde Park is beautiful, it has been heaving with kids and so many people. It's just not right.
"A lot of people have been put off going to the park because of it. We're two weeks into the summer holidays now and it needs to open. They are trying to encourage people to use outside spaces. I just think it's absolutely atrocious, especially in the summer holidays."
Park users told the M.E.N. the toilet situation is a problem for families with young children, as well as older residents. A mum-of-four, who gave her name as Kelly, said: "I've got a lot of friends who travel to see me and it would be beneficial for a lot of people to open them.
"I think more people would be likely to use the park if the toilets were open. We could squat in the bushes but we would end up with criminal charges."
Hazel Clayton suggested the toilets 'really need to be open', and recalled disappointing the mum of an eight-year-old last week who had asked where the nearest toilets where. "There are a lot of people who visit, especially dog walkers," she said.
For Ann Royston, 72, it is particularly an issue when visiting the park with her two-year-old grandchild. She added: "For the amount of people that use this park - especially now in the summer holidays - it's awful."
Some park users were particularly frustrated by the toilets being allowed to open on Saturdays when the Park Run event takes place, but not at other times of the week. Carolyn added that Stamford Park, on the border of Ashton and Stalybridge in Tameside, does have its toilets open - while Hyde Park's are closed.
David Phelps, 76, added: "The amount of times I get asked about it. I think it's important that they should be open for the summer holidays."
Tameside Council hopes to get the toilets open for the rest of the summer holidays as soon as possible. It says an electrical fault has meant the facilities have needed to remain closed.
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “In recent years, we’ve opened the toilets in Hyde Park during the week in the summer holidays, we also ensure that event organisers have keys so that they can open and close when there are particular events taking place including Park Run. If there are people who are willing to open and close the toilets we can discuss this with them; we just need to make sure that there are appropriate measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety.
“However, there is currently an electrical fault in the toilets at Hyde Park which is preventing them from being safe to open. It is hoped that the issue would be resolved in the forthcoming days at which point, we will re-open the facilities.”
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