State of toilets defended

The condition of the Hetana St toilets has come under scrutiny with some Matamata residents walking in and straight out again.

However, a number of other residents on Facebook have come to the defence of cleaners who tend to the toilets, saying they have always found the toilets to be in excellent condition and pleasant.

‘‘I use them when I need to and have always found them to be very pleasant. I’m happy to use them,’’ Pam Gore said.

A concerned resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Matamata Chronicle, her and her granddaughter went to use the toilets and were so horrified by the mess, they turned around and walked out.

‘‘I think if a charge was introduced maybe the council could employ someone to man the toilets during peak hours to stop them from ending up in a mess,’’ she said.

Matamata- Piako District Council communications officer Nicole Nooyen said a team of cleaners tend to all the toilets in the district and clean the busiest ones several times a day.

Hetana St toilets are cleaned three times daily, she said.

‘‘ Occasionally the toilets become messy between cleanings and the cleaners address it as soon as they return,’’ she said.

If a complaint is lodged with the council within working hours, the cleaning team will respond within half an hour.

In the last financial year (July to current) three complaints about the Hetana St toilets were received.

‘‘We have also received a large amount of compliments through letters and on our website about the cleanliness of the Hetana St toilets,’’ Ms Noonan said.

If members of the community have any comments about the state of any of the district’s public toilets they can phone the council on 0800 746 467.