Toilet block on Ocean Grove’s main beach defaced

A toilet block in Ocean Grove has been vandalised and left covered in graffiti, leaving behind a costly clean up job. WATCH THE VIDEO.

A toilet block in Ocean Grove has been vandalised and covered in graffiti, leaving behind a costly clean up job.

Local residents on their daily walk discovered the vandalism at the toilet block at Ocean Grove’s main beach, near The Dunes, on Wednesday morning.

It is believed the toilet block was defaced some time on Tuesday night.

Barwon Coast chief executive Gary McPike, which manage the toilet block and other facilities along the coast from Ocean Grove to Bremlea, estimated the damage will cost between $10,000 and $15,000 to fix.

Both the interior and exterior walls of the block had been covered in graffiti, with the vandals using various colours of spray paint.

The shower and toilet cubicle doors, as well as the mirrors, had been sprayed with tags.

Every wall and cubicle door was tagged by vandals. Picture: Alan Barber

Toilet paper had been thrown across the floor and the plastic dispensers had been damaged and left on the toilet seats.

It is understood both the interior and exterior walls will need to be repainted.

Glass bottles had also been smashed on the footpath, which is a popular area for local families to walk their dogs.

The vandals tagged the mirrors. Picture: Alan Barber

Photos of the graffiti caused a stir on social media when they were posted to a local community group.

People commented they had seen similar graffiti tags in other areas recently, including on the fence of a medical practice in Ocean Grove and on a temporary traffic sign in Leopold.

Locals expressed their disgust online, saying they hoped the vandals responsible were caught and made to clean up their mess.

“This is such a disgrace,” one woman commented.

“Disgusting,” another woman said.

“I seriously didn’t think (Ocean Grove) had low lifes in the area! It’s only costing us money,” third user commented.

Mr McPike said the damage had been reported to Victoria Police.

He said vandalism had increased on the coast in previous years and that there is an increased risk of graffiti during school holidays.

CCTV cameras have been installed in key locations, including Ocean Grove’s main beach, to help tackle the issue and police are using the footage to help identify those responsible for the damage.

“While we are very disappointed to see this new damage, anecdotally we believe that incidents are declining,” Mr McPike said.

“We expect the toilet block to reopen on the weekend, with some works to be completed in coming weeks.”

Originally published as Toilet block on Ocean Grove’s main beach defaced