Use the loo before leaving pub, council urges

Pub-goers in York are being reminded to use the toilet before leaving, after fines came into force to tackle street urination.

City of York Council has approved fines of up to £100 for urinating and defecating in the street as part of a new public space protection order.

The change is a response to 4,200 reports of street urination in 2023-2024.

The authority said as part of a new campaign to improve access to toilet facilities in the evening, it would ask pubs, clubs and bars to put up posters reminding people to use their toilets before leaving.

It comes as part of York's Business Improvement District (BID) Choose Respect, Not Regrets campaign which aims to improve the behaviour of people out in the city in the evening.

Public protection executive member Michael Pavlovic said a consultation had shown there was overwhelming public support for the new penalties.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, York BID received 4,194 requests to clean up urine and 2,058 related to human biohazard fluid, such as vomit, in the 12 months to March.

During a council consultation, 162 out of 346 people blamed the issue on a lack of public toilets and 83% of 1,026 respondents backed the £100 fines.

However, it highlighted that many public toilets were only open during the day and made a charge.

Respondents also said there were few options for people once public toilets in the city closed and those in shops, cafes, pubs and other businesses were typically reserved for their customers.

"We understand people are concerned about public toilet facilities but there are very few excuses for urinating in public," Pavlovic said.

The executive heard the council's environment spokesperson Jenny Kent was working with businesses to make their toilets available to the public.

Councillors heard it was hoped her efforts would also see toilets opened in late-night venues.

The council's report also stated the authority had recently invested £65,000 in upgrading public facilities.

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