London,Nov 25: In a bid to tackle the menace of peopleurinating in the open, a UK city has decided to take offenders on a ‘walk of shame' to show them the damage to historic sites due to such corroding behaviour.
Each day, up to 30 people are caught on CCTV urinating in public in Chester, which was founded by the Romans and attracts eight million visitors a year.
Chester Council has joined forces with police to introduce a “heritage awareness” course in an attempt to combat the public nuisance, which officials say is corroding the city's buildings.
While students, soldiers and the unemployed are the primary culprits, accountants, solicitors and teachers have also been caught, the Daily Mail reported.
In the past year, 108 offenders have agreed to pay 75 pounds to enrol on the course, which is run by trading standards officers, rather than go to court and face a possible heavy fine.
They are told about the effects of their behaviour on residents and tourism, and shown a recording of them urinating in the street before going on “walk of shame” around the city centre to inspect the damage.
Chief Inspector Julie Westgate of Cheshire Police said: “We want to make offenders accountable for the damage to the city's heritage.”
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