Public loos are in short supply.
Byline: By Denise RobertsonLast week the 2003 Anti-social Behaviour Act came into force.
This will enable "accredited lawkeepers" to issue fixed penalty notices for offences like littering and riding on the pavement, offences that were once merely anti-social and are now illegal.
For humans to defecate or urinate in the street has long been an offence which could well result in a court appearance.
But the new law will step up the number of sinners apprehended because police and the new "lawkeepers" will be less inclined to turn a blind eye now it's simply a question of writing out a chit.
As two million pints of urine per annum are said to be deposited on the streets of London alone, you can see the need for control of some description.
But what if you can't make it home?
The first public toilet was opened 150 years ago.
And I for one, can remember a time when you were never dangerously far away from one.
But since 1995 47pc of our public loos have closed.
And the state of those that remain often resembles a bush-tucker trail on I'm A Celebrity " Get Me Out of Here!
Roughly speaking, there's one public lavatory per seven or eight thousand bladders now.
So, if the new law bites, expect to see a lot of crossed legs on Britain's streets.
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| Title Annotation: | Business |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Journal (Newcastle, England) |
| Date: | Feb 3, 2004 |
| Words: | 226 |
| Previous Article: | Dance of death. |
| Next Article: | Denise Robertson Column. |