Why spending a penny in street costs £150
12 April 2012
A crackdown on public indecency has led four men to find out that spending a penny in public can cost £150.
The four were fined after urinating in the street in the West End.
Dr Leith Penny, Westminster council's strategic director for city management, called the behaviour "deplorable".
He said: "I hope these court cases send a very clear signal to visitors to our area that we will not tolerate such behaviour.
"Not only is it offensive and unhygienic to urinate in the street, it costs a small fortune to clean up."
Three of the men were fined £150 at Westminster magistrates and the fourth £100. Westminster has installed pop-up loos and a text service to find your nearest lavatory to combat the problem.
