Pee-back returns to Chester – Christmas party-goers in for a soaking if they piddle in public

If you’re heading into Chester for your Christmas celebrations, you might want to think twice before relieving yourself on the streets the council warns.

After the success of the Pee-back campaign that was launched in the run up to Christmas party season last year, Cheshire West and Chester Council and CH1ChesterBID are fighting back again…more walls in more secret locations have been treated.

Additional sections of wall have been coated with liquid-repellent paint which causes “splash-back”, so anyone who urinates against them will get a rather unexpected soaking.

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Karen Shore:

“Most party-goers will enjoy the festivities and respect our beautiful city. However a minority are damaging historic structures by using the city centre as a public toilet.

“Late last year liquid repelling paint was applied in secret locations across the city. We saw a reduction in the street cleansing required at some hot spots across the city so our campaign definitely got the message across.

“Now, even more, secret locations have been added to our list. Anyone spending a penny in public this festive season may get more than they bargained for. We’ve also used locations where people may then walk into the view of CCTV cameras, so your soaking may be seen by our control room too.

“Our campaign film, featuring a ‘creature’ that pees in the dark corners with no respect for our city was a big success at the end of last year. We’ll be using it again on social media to spread the word that even more of Chester’s walls and buildings now pee-back”

Nick White, City Centre Manager at CH1ChesterBID, said:

“Ensuring that we create a welcoming environment for visitors is one of our key pledges as a Business Improvement District – it’s one of the things that makes people want to come back to Chester time and time again.

That’s why we fully support campaigns like this that encourage people to be more responsible and help us create an attractive city centre environment for everyone to enjoy.

“Whether it’s to do a spot of Christmas shopping or to celebrate in Chester’s bars, pubs and restaurants, we want everyone to be able to experience the festive atmosphere at its best in Chester city centre and we hope this campaign will have a positive impact this Christmas.”