They demanded to know why the station owners had failed to act with the loos at the busy station remaining closed for more than 10 years.
The toilets were closed in 2011 because they were regularly being vandalised or used for drug taking – but even with a £1m revamp of the station forecourt in 2023 they remained shut.
A notice instead directs people to toilets on the Esplanade or at the Swannery car park.
At an event yesterday to mark 168 years of the railway coming to Weymouth – part of the Railway 200 celebrations – some residents turned up to express their anger at the situation, with one even heckling a speech.
They held a sign saying, ‘no toilets- why’.
The toilets at Weymouth Railway Station (Image: Alfie Lumb) READ MORE: Weymouth train station plagued by drug using gangs
Cllr Jon Andrews speaking at the event next to Cllr Jon Orrell (Image: Alfie Lumb) During a speech, Cllr Jon Andrews, Dorset Council cabinet member for place and services who was filling in for Lloyd Hatton MP, said he was aware of the problem, whilst a member of the public heckled to say “We’re paying passengers and we have a right to use the toilets – they’re always locked.”
Lyndsey Robson Malone, the service delivery director for South Western Railway – which is responsible for the station – interjected saying: “Let’s not make this political.”
Talking to the Echo afterwards, campaigners raised their concerns.
Richard Reynolds, a rail enthusiast, said: “We were told by (former MP) Richard Drax that when the café would reopen, the toilets would be made available, but that didn’t happen.”
Richard Reynolds with his sign (Image: Alfie Lumb) Local resident Genny Burchill said: “It’s disgusting, you get to Weymouth and if you’ve got a medical issue or physical condition you can’t do anything if you’re bursting.”
Jonathan Pullen said: “I have a serious condition and even with a special card I can’t find anywhere in the area to use the toilet when I get off the train – this really affects a lot of people.”
Cllr Jon Andrews echoed concerns, saying: “It’s ridiculous situation to come into a major travel hub with no toilet. You have to close your legs until you get on the train if you’re leaving. My advice would be for everyone to write to their MP about this issue.”
Cllr Jon Orrell, Mayor of Weymouth said: “The toilets should be reopened. We know that they were abused by a small section of the public, but the counter argument is that Weymouth Town Council look after 10 blocks of toilets – and when they get abused, they get reopened, and we would expect the railway to do the same.”
Sign at Weymouth Railway Station (Image: Alfie Lumb) He added: “It was great to see so many people at the event and I look forward to seeing more improvements on the line for years to come.”
Lyndsey Robson Malone told the Echo: “We always look at opportunities to serve the community better. We need to look into this more as there are challenging situations affecting vulnerable customers, but we need to balance this with safety and will be working with British Transport Police on this – but it’s definitely something we are committed at looking into.”
Lyndsey Robson Malone at the event (Image: Alfie Lumb) Speaking about the event, she said: “It’s been a fabulous day – I’m usually on my way to Waterloo every Monday morning so to have the invite (to come here) is just awesome. The community spirit shown here today is what we’re about at SWR.”
The event saw performances of rail-themed songs such as Ticket to Ride and Locomotion from the Weymouth Community Choir.
Weymouth Community Choir (Image: Alfie Lumb) Cllr Orrell then gave a speec, before Cllr Andrews spoke. This was followed by a talk about the station’s history and more about the care of the station from Friends at Weymouth Railway Station.
Cllr Jon Orrell cutting the ribbon to new pots at the station (Image: Alfie Lumb) Cllr Orrell then cut the ribbon on new pots for cordyline plants supplied by Dan Sandham. One of the plants was at the centre of a news story recently when volunteers managed to recover one of the plants when it was stolen.
Students of Weymouth College with sculptures for the station (Image: Alfie Lumb) The group moved to the forecourt where sculptures made by Weymouth College students were installed before staff at SWR bedded new plants into train-shaped pots made by Portland Shed. This was followed by servings of cake. A message on the platform board also marked the day.
Miranda Tunnicliffe, a volunteer said: “It’s been amazing to see so many people come out to support the station.”