Disgusted beach-goers say people have been urinating outside run-down public toilets, while “buckets of human waste” have been cleared from the coast.

The “inadequate” facilities in Botany Bay in Broadstairs are only open from late March to September, meaning those needing the loo at any other time are left with nowhere to go.

Resident Tina Hubbard, who regularly walks her dog past the block, says the stench of “stale urine” where people have relieved themselves outside can be “nauseating”.

In the busiest months, temporary portable loos are put in place – but this summer one was knocked over and rolled onto the beach, before being set on fire.

Even when the main toilets are open, they are in need of vital repairs.

“On more than one occasion this summer the toilets overflowed, meaning the waste cascaded down the steps,” said Mrs Hubbard.

“I took the dog for a walk on the beach on Sunday afternoon and the smell was horrid.

“It was 25 degrees and the beach was busy but the toilets were closed because it’s October which is very short-sighted.

“You could smell it all the way from the top of the steps to the bottom.”

The 70-year-old fears it could result in the beach losing its Blue Flag status and deterring visitors.

“Botany Bay and other beaches in the area were heavily advertised as a tourist destination,” she said.

“About 10 years ago I remember arriving at Gatwick and seeing a huge poster calling Botany Bay a ‘hidden gem’, but it is not a hidden gem any more.

“You can’t have several thousand people on the beach and keep the toilet situation we have.

“For people to feel they have to relieve themselves in the open is unacceptable.

“I can’t help but think if we were inspected at the height of summer we would lose our Blue Flag status.”

As well as improvements, Mrs Hubbard would also like to see the toilets, which are near Marine Drive, to be open all year round.

When the toilets are out of action, visitors often turn to the facilities at the Botany Bay Hotel across the road, something the general manager of the Shepherd Neame pub, Fiona Harris, says can be frustrating.

“We would support any efforts to improve the public facilities in Botany Bay,” Ms Harris said.

“This isn’t a particular issue for our hotel for the majority of the year. However, it can be during the summer months.

“Our facilities are solely for the use of customers, who are drinking or dining with us.”

When demand is high, Thanet District Council (TDC), which is responsible for the toilets, places portable loos at the bottom of Botany Bay Road to help cope with demand.

During the summer holidays, one of the loos was knocked over and rolled onto the beach before being set alight.

Cliftonville East ward councillor Barry Manners says the temporary toilets are not a good enough solution to the problem.

“This is a symptom of the longer-term problems with the tourist economy in Thanet,” the Conservative said.

“We don’t have the infrastructure to support the number of visitors we have coming to the Isle.

“It is not a luxury to have public toilets and the additional provision provided by portable loos, in my mind, is not right.

“It’s a sticking plaster solution.”

Cllr Manners says turning to the private sector might be the best way forward.

He added: “I'm also a volunteer with the friends of Botany Bay and we picked up buckets of human waste on the beach throughout the summer and that's where kids are making sandcastles.

“We need to have a total rethink of how we manage our visitor economy and that includes parking and public loos

“I would like to see an ecologically-sensitive construction at that location with a private sector operator to provide public toilets as part of their lease.

“That would be the best way to take the burden off the council which is overstretched.”

In a letter to Mrs Hubbard seen by KentOnline, Tony Marmo, head of coastal and public realm at TDC, says the council has pledged to spend £850,000 upgrading toilets across the district.

In a statement, a council spokesperson said: “The daily opening and closing times for the district’s public toilets are scheduled to allow our operatives to visit each location in turn.

“Facilities in the areas with the highest number of visitors are open for the longest periods.

“The toilets at Botany Bay are open on a seasonal basis from late March to the end of September each year.

“Additional seasonal temporary toilets were in place at Botany Bay from the end of March until late September 2023.

“The temporary toilets were opened and cleaned in line with our standard toilet management schedule which is available on the council’s website.

"A report will be submitted to a meeting of the council’s Cabinet on Thursday, December 14.

“The report will propose a plan for investment in the district’s public toilets, and will include using some of the funds at Botany Bay."