London: Seeking to combat the growing menace of street urination, a London borough has introduced UK’s first ‘anti-pee wall’ designed to soak anyone who tries to urinate against it.
The liquid-repelling wall coating will be used at two popular drinking locations in Shoreditch and Dalston, east London during the busy Christmas and New Year party season, Hackney Council said.
The coating creates a barrier that completely repels liquid. This means that anyone choosing to use the walls as a toilet will see their urine bounce off, covering their shoes
and trousers. It also stops urine soaking into the wall – reducing stains and smells. Hackney Council spends 100,000 pounds a year cleaning urine off walls and pavements.
The ‘peeback’ wall is part of a strategy to tackle the problem, including more public toilets and enforcement. The council has fined more than 500 people for public urination in 2015 – a threefold increase on last year.
Feryal Dermici, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “If the prospect of a fine doesn’t put them off from weeing in the street, maybe the risk of getting covered in urine will.”
The treatment creates a barrier that repels liquid, meaning that urine will bounce off the wall and back towards the offender. Dermici urged people to enjoy themselves responsibly and “think about the people living nearby”.
The substance is made by a US company and creates a near- invisible barrier of air over surfaces. The council, which believes it is the first local authority in the UK to use the repellent, has paid 1,000 pounds to treat the two locations, the BBC reported.
