About ten walls along the crowded streets of the Soho district – which is characterized by restaurants, bars and theaters – are now treated with so-called “anti-pee paint”.
The special coating creates a transparent, water-repellent layer that causes what lands on the wall in question – such as pee – to splash back. Local officials in London call it giving the perpetrators an “immediate punishment”.
“It has proven to be very effective,” says local politician Aicha Less, and demonstrates the paint’s ability to splash with the help of a water bottle.
Stench of urine
Councilors in the Westminster area launched the project after complaints from some of Soho’s 3,000 or so residents, as well as workers and shopkeepers.
— Of course, kissing is not very nice and our residents are very upset, says Less and adds:
— They step out the door in the morning and feel the stench of urine.
The walls sprayed with the anti-pee paint are marked with signs saying “this wall is not a urinal”.
The spray paint has previously been successfully tested in San Francisco, another city battling public urination. Image from 2015. Heavy fines
Westminster spends close to a million pounds annually, corresponding to over twelve million Swedish kronor, on street cleaning – including flushing pee-ridden streets. The hope is that the new strategy will lower the cleaning bill.
Bearded Soho is said to be particularly prone to public urination. The small area in the heart of central London is home to more than 400 premises licensed to serve alcohol, around a quarter of which are allowed to stay open late into the night. In addition, there are hardly any public toilets.
Westminster council also warns that it will start fining more offenders. The act can result in fines of up to 80 pounds, equivalent to roughly 1,000 Swedish kronor, to the person who relieves the pressure.