The lay-by on the A41 near Kings Langley has become a hot spot for drivers needing a wee (Picture: Wessex News Agency)
A lay-by in Hertfordshire has become quite a popular spot for drivers to take a stop and have a wild wee.
In fact 762 drivers received a fine from the local council because they were caught short at the lay-by on the A41, near Kings Langley, last year.
What’s more 98% of fines dished out by Dacorum Borough Council were issued on lay-bys on the A41 near Kings Langley.
According to the BBC, the figures also show that the number of public urination fines rose 38,800% from just two in 2021, to 10 in 2022, to more than 770 last year.
The figures were only released because a man was fined £88 despite having a prostate problem that makes him urinate more.
The council fined Michael Mason, 69, for littering when he was forced to relieve himself on the lay-by.
His £88 fine was eventually cancelled after he was given a letter from his GP proving he had a weakened prostate.
Another man, 73-year-old Tony Leach, was also fined when he stopped at an A41 lay-by near Kings Langley last November, while driving from Maidstone in Kent, to his granddaughter’s 18th birthday.
Michael Mason, 69, was issued an £88 fine by the council (Picture: Michael Mason/Wessex News Agency)
Tony Leach, 73, was also fined despite having a prostate problem (Picture: BBC)
He also has a medically-substantiated prostate issue and was in ‘desperate need’ to relieve himself just two hours into the drive.
He said: ‘I chose a spot that was unlikely to cause any offence to anybody.
‘But when I turned around there was a guy right behind me who said I was on camera and that he was issuing me a fixed penalty notice for an apparent breach of the Environmental Protection Act.
‘I was pretty cheesed off.’
He believes in light of the data, a public toilet should be installed at the lay-by to prevent other people urinating.
All the other 760 motorists were also fined for littering under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
But lawyer Nick Freeman, also known as Mr Loophole, believes there is nowhere where the Act lists urinating as littering.
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The council previously confirmed wild wees in lay-bys were ‘unpleasant’ and denied fines were being used to raised cash.
It also said in response to Mr Freeman’s claims: ‘We have sought independent legal advice on the use of littering FPNs for urination, as have many other councils, and we are satisfied that urination can be covered by the relevant legislation.’
Dacorum Borough Council has been approached for further comment.
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