Dacorum Borough Council pauses fines for 'wild wees' on A41 lay-bys

A council that issued hundreds of fines to people urinating in a lay-by said it had paused giving out penalties.

Data obtained by the BBC showed Dacorum Borough Council sent out 762 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for public urination at A41 lay-bys in Hertfordshire, in 2023.

It said it was reviewing "enforcement action in this area" and would not issue new tickets during this period.

The authority has not given out fines there since 19 January.

It added: "If members of the public who receive an fixed penalty notice do feel there are mitigating circumstances e.g. medical grounds, then representation of these facts will be taken into consideration."

In December, the council cancelled a fine for a man who had urinated in a lay-by on the A41 near Kings Langley.

The council claimed that "urination is classified as litter by the Environmental Protection Act 1990".

Lawyer Nick Freeman encouraged those who had been fined to complain to the police and described the penalties as criminal.

The lawyer, popularly known as Mr Loophole, argued that the definition of litter should not include urine in the circumstances of a "wild wee".

He told the JVS Show on BBC Three Counties Radio: "Dacorum Council have steadfastly continued to fine people, they've ignored the legality.

"In my view, they are committing a criminal offence, it is fraud, there needs to be a police investigation."

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