You are mistaken if you believed that Indians were the only people infamous for this. The threat of public urination is ever present in the UK. Now, the Westminster City Council in London has developed a creative solution—paint—to deal with people who relieve themselves in public.
No, unlike what we see in India, the government does not scrawl oddball messages on walls. However, they are coating them with a substance known as a "splashback" that will leave offenders covered in their own urine. This is something that piques our curiosity.
The waterproof paint that bounces back
The council is applying special paint to the streets of Soho, a district in the City of Westminster with pubs, restaurants, and shopping malls, to deter intoxicated revellers from urinating in public. According to a BBC report, it allegedly splashes back on the person who urinates on it.
Urine or any other liquid will bounce back on the offenders because the paint is made of a layer that repels water. The "splashback" paint will be applied to the walls and streets of five locations, including Westminster and central London.
In 2016, a similar paint was applied in Hamburg, Germany's red-light district. It consists of two layers of Ultra-Ever Dry, a superhydrophobic material that produces surface chemistry and texture with patterns of geometric shapes that have "peaks" or "high points," according to a Forbes report. Water, some oils, wet concrete, and other liquids are repelled by these high points.
Toilets' QR codes
In addition to the paint, there will be posters deterring people from using the restroom in public and informing them that it is against the law, as well as QR codes that will direct them to restrooms nearby. Offenders will face consequences, including fines of up to £150 (Rs 15,070) if they are discovered by council inspectors.
The initiative was started after the COVID-19-induced lockdown ended and Westminster City Council began spending £950,000 (Rs 96.11 lakh) annually to clean up after an increase in incidents of public urination. To keep the restrooms in Soho clean, especially from Thursday to Sunday when there is an increase in visitors, it is anticipated to spend an additional £20,000 (Rs 20 lakh).
Tim Lord, the head of the Soho Society, claims that hundreds of drunk people congregate at bars in Soho. He added that on Houston Street, people frequently urinate on residents' doors and that it is incredible that there aren't more public restrooms.
Residents and businesses are tired of it, said Aicha Less, deputy leader of Westminster City Council, in a previous interview with My London. To prevent people from using doorways or alleyways as latrines, we are taking action. Inconsiderate visitors get a nasty surprise from splashback paint. It certainly serves as a deterrent. Some people would say it's karma. One of the many measures we are taking to deter people from relieving themselves in public or on private property is the smart paint.
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