Jon Brooke-Smith was accidentally locked inside the public toilets in Crofts Place, Broadstairs, on 15 September 2026. He is 66, lives in the town and works for Central Cars, and had gone in between fares. Kent Online reported his account on 23 October 2026, together with a statement from Thanet District Council. Kent Online report
The lock-up
He was standing in a cubicle at about 5.15pm when the main door slammed and locked. He took it to be the end-of-day lock-up. Nobody had called out to see whether anyone was still inside. He described the block as prison-like, with no way of getting out and no chance of anyone hearing him. He considers himself a robust character, but the prospect of spending the night there was disconcerting and distressing.
His mobile phone was with him. A call to Thanet District Council reached an out-of-office message and advice on how to send an email. The police non-emergency line reached an answerphone that suggested filling in a form. He then called the emergency services, knowing that line is for emergencies, because he could see no other option. The person who took the call contacted the council’s emergency number, and he was told someone would let him out. About 45 minutes passed before he was free.
On his understanding, the man who opened the door was the same worker who had locked it. That worker’s explanation, as Mr Brooke-Smith gave it, was that both cubicle doors were open, so the block looked empty. Mr Brooke-Smith felt that everyone he dealt with seemed unbothered. The apology that followed seemed to him impersonal and automatically written.
The council’s reply
In a statement, a spokesman for Thanet District Council treated the incident as serious and set out how the public can reach the council out of hours, with callers passed to the relevant service.
"We apologise for the experience and acknowledge how frustrating it must have been. We recognise how important it is for our staff to always check inside areas and individual cubicles before locking up public toilets. Information about what always needs to be done during lock-up checks for council-managed toilets has been reviewed and re-issued to operational staff."
The reply he wanted
He called the council’s lack of an appropriate response deplorable. Someone more vulnerable, without a mobile phone, could have been left in a poor state. His request for compensation has focused only on possible loss of income, which is hard to calculate. In that correspondence, he finds no reference to unlawful confinement or to the distressing nature of the incident.