Hundreds of day-trippers sunning themselves on Leysdown beach were left crossing their legs at the weekend because seafront public toilets remained closed.

In desperation they made a beeline for the nearby Talk of the Town, but that left landlord Chris Prime hopping mad.

He said: “I’ve just spent £20,000 redecorating the lavatories and laying a new floor and suddenly I have hundreds of people walking through the pub dropping sand all over the place. They don’t even buy a drink.”

“Swale council gets money from the holidaymakers and us. The least it can do is make sure the Leysdown loos are open when the children are on holiday. Youngsters have been off school for a week yet the toilets remain closed.”

He said Leysdown was packed and it was heartbreaking to see the state his new toilets were left in.

The 66-year-old added: “The council’s answer is for families to use the council toilet block at The Spinney near the Rose and Crown but that is a long walk from the beach and they are tiny. By lunch time they are disgusting.

"You wouldn’t want to take a child in there when there are disabled loos, baby-changing facilities and running water to clean feet on the seafront.

“When I opened there were 50 to 60 people waiting to use my loos. The council is just taking the mickey. This happens every year.

“Most of Leysdown’s holiday camps opened at the start of March. Why can’t the council’s toilets open at the same time? I keep phoning them but they haven’t given me a proper explanation.”

A Swale council spokesman said: “The ones on the seafront at The Grove are seasonal and will be open from Good Friday.

"The ones at The Spinney just up the road are open all year.”

He added: “We ask our contractors to open the toilets for the Easter bank holiday as they need a start date.

“Unfortunately, Easter and the school holidays keep moving about.”