Leicester clean-up stops drunks mid-flow

Drunks caught urinating in the street in Leicester were handed a mop and bucket and told to clean up their mess.

Police have warned that patrols will be out with the cleaning equipment in a crackdown on antisocial behaviour in the city.

Officers, with a member of the city council's street cleaning team, nabbed six drunks urinating in the streets on one of their first patrols.

All but one agreed to clean up their mess. The one who refused was handed an £80 fine and ordered to leave the city centre.

Joe Florence, 19, fromironically-named Whetstone, who was caught urinating in New Road, next to Creation nightclub, said: "I've learnedmy lesson ­ I don't want to see these police officers in thesecircumstances ever again."

His girlfriend, Kerry Taylor, also 19 and from Whetstone, said: "I told him not to do it."

Other club-goers backed the stance. Kirsty Chalmers, 21, said: "People who urinate in the street are disgusting and I hope the threat of being humiliated like this will make them stop."

City-centre police commander Inspector Ian Coulton said the effectiveness of the tactic would be assessed this week.

He said: "It does work. We will be evaluating it and hopefully incorporating it into our strategy for the city centre."