A cleaner was reportedly pelted with plastic bottles and cans in a sustained assault forcing a council to close a public toilet early.

Police are investigating the attack at the facilities in William Street, Herne Bay, which happened on Sunday at about 4pm.

Canterbury City Council says it will be closing the public toilets at 2.30pm for the rest of this week.

Cabinet member responsible for public toilets, Cllr Charlotte Cornell (Lab), said: “It is completely unacceptable someone should be assaulted when they are simply doing their job, working hard to look after these toilets and ensure they are available for our residents and visitors to use.

“We are taking it very seriously because protecting the people who provide services to the public is of paramount importance to us.

“The toilets will be closing early for the next few days to try and prevent a further incident taking place and we will be keeping the situation under review.”

The city council says investigations by officers using CCTV in the area are underway.

Last year, a cleaner being trapped by a gang of yobs and a spate of arson attempts forced the city council to close three toilets early.

The worker was reportedly abused and stopped from leaving the cubicle by a group of young people who held the door closed in Herne Bay at the Memorial Park facilities on July 27.

The council says the cleaner in that incident was verbally abused and stopped from leaving the toilets by a gang and trapped when the door was blocked.

He managed to get to the cleaners’ cupboard where he locked himself in and called 999 and then his supervisor.

And he continued to be threatened throughout the incident.

The supervisor arrived before the police and the young people ran off.

A statement by the city council says the cleaner was “very shaken” by the incident.