Council backflips on 'cruel' bathroom move at Aussie beach amid rise in illegal camping
The West Australian council said it will continue to monitor illegal campers – bit locals are claiming 'victory'.
An Australian council has caved to intense community pressure after its decision to turn off the hot water at a popular beach had locals reaching boiling point.
The Town of Cambridge council has now backflipped on its controversial move and turned the hot water back on for those showering at City Beach in Perth. The decision was initially made to curb illegal camping issues in the area, and the council told Yahoo News it has had the desired effect.
"The measures appear to have been effective in reducing the number of illegal campers in the area and have enabled the Town to respond to the community's desires for the hot water to be reinstated," a spokesperson said.
The hot water was due to be reinstated on Friday, however, the council said a "member of the public broke into a service duct and switched off the hot water unit's power". This meant there was a delay in switching the hot water back on, with the issue not rectified until Monday.
Locals cheering after weeks of cold mornings
Among the locals who initially expressed their disappointment, and later elation, at the news was a group of female ocean swimmers who call themselves the Magnificent Morning Mermaids.
"Victory! We can now continue to swim all year round. Thanks Cambridge Council for listening to the wishes of our Magnificent Morning Mermaids group and the community who were also impacted. We are extremely grateful," one of the swimmers wrote on their online petition which had collected 227 signatures of support during the three weeks there was no hot water.
Despite some in the community labelling the move "cruel" and an "unfair knee-jerk reaction", it's believed the council will continue to monitor the issue of illegal camping following the hot water being switched back on and will make changes if deemed necessary.
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