Urinating in public

[Morgan_s]

No im not in any kind of trouble as this is a question that came from an earlier question i asked so feel free to answer anyones genuine question before mine as i'm not really pressed for the answer.

If you have tried to go to the public toilets and they're locked or out of order and you've tried the pub and ast food establishments and was told that you can't use their toilets as you're not a customer and as you're really dying to go to the point you're going to soil yourself and you urinate in public.
Can you be fined or arrested and taken to court even though you've exausted all other legitimate avenues to urinating withing the law?
Would this be policemans discretion or as i've said a finable or chargable offence?

[NOX]

They'd probably just tell you to p155 off ;-)

[DTCwordfan]

You can pee on the rear wheel of your car, passenger side.

A woman who is pregnant can also demand a policeman's helmet for the pee process.

(Useless facts of English law)

[Old_Geezer]

You could ask the PC if they are going to take the Mickey if you do.

[danchip]

my local town encourages men to urinate on the street rather than open public toilets late at night as they are a hot spot for violence!

[barry1010]

A police officer can always use his discretion.
You can be fined for urinating in public but you have to be caught in the act by a police officer or have a complaint made against you.

Trying your best to be discreet will help, urinating up the window of McDonald's won't.

[Morgan_s]

This question is regarding male, female disabled, pregnant and children as well as parents with children.
For a better reference pointand understanding please see my thread in the news section about lack of public toilets.

[ABerrant]

This document by the Law Commission debunks both "useless facts" proffered by DT...

http://www.justice.go...cs/Legal_Oddities.pdf

[Morgan_s]

Sorry aberrant i can't open pdf files on this for some reason, so those laws were indeed true t some point or were they always a myth?

[DTCwordfan]

Spoilsport, ABErrant - you need to become a US lawyer and advise Morgan-s on Maury.....

[ABerrant]

From the PDF...

"There is no generally applicable offence of urinating in public. There was an attempt to insert an amendment into the Criminal and Justice Police Act 2001 to create a specific offence but the amendment was rejected...

However the offence is regulated by local bye-laws: Home Office Model Byelaws Bye-law No 24: no person shall urinate or defecate in any public place...

Although discretion not to charge might be exercised if a pregnant woman were caught short in public, it does seem unlikely that a police officer would offer his helmet for the purpose."


The 2006 Model Byelaw set 8 (Good rule and government) available at the Department for Communities and Local Government website has Urinating, etc. listed as Byelaw 13...

http://www.communitie...vernment/modelbyelaw6

If the local authority has enacted such a byelaw the maximum penalty allowed upon summary conviction is a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale (£500).

[JonnyBoy12]

Questions like this really p*ss me off!

[BAKERS DOZEN]

A publican can not stop you from using the facilities in his pub as it is a Public House. You do not have to be a customer. The rule may be different in shops.

[CheekyChops]

Of course a publican can stop you using the toilets, same as he/she can refuse entry to or bar anyone they like.