A toilet cleaner has hit out at vandals and holidaymakers for abusing public toilets in a seaside town.

Timothy Lock, who works for SHS Cleaners, spoke out in support of Tendring Council, which he claims is unfairly criticised for the state of its toilets in Clacton.

He has worked for the firm, which is contracted to clean the council's loos, for two years, but is now hitting back at yobs for draining the council's resources.

"Vandalism is a major problem, from graffiti to smashed pans," he said.

"What the public doesn't see is how quickly these problems are taken care of, from cleaners who will come out at a moment's notice to clean up to maintenance contractors who are on duty 24-hours a day.

"The amount of times I have heard how disgraceful these toilets are, but in truth we will never get them as clean as some people would like, but we do our job to the best of our abilities."