Bog-awful school loos need £8m upgrade

MORE than £8 million needs to be spent on Edinburgh's "disgusting" school toilets to bring them up to scratch, a new report reveals today.

A survey carried out by council officials has found that £3m is needed immediately to upgrade 20 "priority one" school loos, while a further £5.4m will have to be found for the rest.

The review of all toilets in city schools was ordered by education director Gillian Tee last year after parents at Tollcross Primary highlighted the state of its facilities by showing her photos of burst pipes, live wires, broken toilets and cracked sinks.

The school's toilets have now been upgraded, along with those at St Mark's and St Cuthbert's primaries and Portobello High, but there are dozens still desperately waiting for improvements.

The situation at St John's Primary in Portobello – one of the five schools awaiting rebuilding or refurbishment under the "wave three" programme – has become so bad that parents are considering paying for the upgrades themselves.

David Manson, chairman of the school's parent council, said: "I have never before experienced toilets that are so disgusting that they could be smelled before they are seen, like at St John's.

"I can quite believe toilets are like this across the city, particularly those in the older buildings, and I welcome the initiative to invest in them but I would like to know when this will happen.

"We are now at the stage where we are asking the parents to do the toilets themselves. They need more than just a lick of paint – they need a new ventilation system.

"We wonder how long it's going to be before someone gets ill using the toilets."

The toilet upgrades are likely to begin in some priority schools during the summer holidays, however it will take several years before all facilities are brought up to the required standard.

The survey report reveals that "many school toilet facilities are in need of a full refurbishment".

Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart councillor Gordon Buchan, who campaigned for the toilets at Tollcross Primary to be upgraded last year, said the lack of ongoing maintenance has resulted in "£8m going down the pan".

He said: "That's pretty serious stuff. If this is the attitude to health and safety, what else is lurking out there?

"To let children's facilities get that bad is a pretty sad indictment. The ones in Tollcross were brutal."

City education leader Cllr Marilyne MacLaren said: "Everyone needs access to good quality facilities when nature calls but toilets aren't always top of the agenda, which is why I think they've been neglected in the past.

"We are building up a rolling programme of investment. It's a big job, but we've started and it's important we continue."