Vandalised and foul-smelling bathrooms at one of Bermuda's prime beach locations will do nothing to improve tourism or serve locals, it was claimed last night.

Shadow Environment Minister Kim Young said both the male and female rest rooms at Clearwater Beach were a disgrace to the Island and not fit to be used.

She said neither had running water, both were covered in graffiti, a sink was broken in the ladies, while a cistern was broken and removed in the gents', and a mirror on the wall was smashed to pieces.

Neither had paper towels to enable people to dry their hands.

And when The Royal Gazette visited the bathrooms yesterday, a stench filled the male bathroom where the toilet was brimming with excrement and a dead bird lay decaying on the floor.

Mrs. Young said: “Both locals and tourists go down to Clearwater regularly, but these toilets are not fit to be used. Why have they been allowed to get in this state?

“I have received complaints about it and feel that something should be done immediately. I have been told that it's someone's job to monitor the bathrooms, but they are either not writing a report, or not handing it in. The bathrooms are disgraceful. We can only hope something is done soon before the use of Clearwater increases for the summer. Can you imagine what tourists would think if they went there.”

And Mrs. Young said there were regular race meetings at the track, meaning the bathrooms would need be in great use.

The bathrooms are the responsibility of the Bermuda Land and Development Corporation (BLDC), but Government's Parks Department is responsible for ensuring toilet paper and paper towels are available.

Yesterday, when The Royal Gazette spoke to the Parks Department, it was told that the department was trying to clarify what its responsibilities were to that particular bathroom.

However, the BLDC's business development and leasing manager Ellen Joell said it was responsible for the maintenance of the facilities, while the Parks Department were responsible for the cleaning.

She said after the complaint was made yesterday someone from the BLDC had visited the bathrooms.

She said: “We didn't know they were in this mess. We have had no complaints until now.

“Maybe because the tourist season is just starting, people have not been using them much, so no one reported it.

“We will investigate it and we will take remedial action to make sure they are how they should be, as far as our responsibility extends.

“Our responsibility is if there is a broken sink or toilet, we will fix it. We have gone down there this afternoon to take a look at it and we will make sure the facilities are usable.”