New £29k thatched roof for conservation area toilets (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Frinton: New £29k thatched roof for conservation area toilets

7:30am Thursday 24th January 2013 in News

A NEW £29,000 thatched roof has been crafted onto a public toilet block in Frinton.

The toilets on the Kiosk Field area of the Greensward were in need of vital repairs due to major leaks and nesting birds damaging the roof.

Tendring Council brought in craftsman Paul Shelley, and the master thatcher has now put the finishing touches to a completely revamped roof.

Paul’s family has been in the thatching business since 1807 and he became the youngest master thatcher in the world in 1999.

The re-thatched roof will be watertight for the next 50-80 years.

Tendring Council technical services boss Nick Turner said: “A patch-up repair using straw, which was completed about 25 years ago, was failing badly and causing a number of issues for this building in the town’s conservation area.

“It has been a pleasure to watch a real craftsman at work undertaking these important repairs, and he has even carried on during the snow.”

The new roof has been thatched from Norfolk reed.

Cash for the work came from the council’s routine maintenance budget.