WELSH: A seaside town of Welsh town of Porthcawl, is planning to install public toilets that will stop sexual activity by spraying amorous occupants with water and sounding an alarm.
The new loos in the Welsh town of Porthcawl is also designed to prevent anti-social behavior such as vandalism and drug-taking.
The toilets will have weight-sensitive floors to make sure only one person is using each cubicle at a time.
Any violent movement will set off a water jet to soak users, sound an alarm and automatically open the doors.
The water jets will also be used to prevent smoking and drug-taking, and the walls and floors will be resistant to graffiti.
Planning documents for the facilities say rough sleepers will be deterred by a time limit on how long a person can use the cubicles for.
A time lock would also open and shut the toilets every morning and evening.
Some questions are being raised as to how the facilities’ weight sensor would work.
Twitter user Leah said: “Weight sensitive floors to detect more than 1 user? What baseline weight are they using?
“I’m easily the weight of 2 teenagers! And what about people who need assistance? I have to go in with my kids.”
Another Twitter user said: “If some poor old person falls over in the loo they will probably get a free jet wash at the same time.”
Meanwhile, Jarrod Smith tweeted that “as an ample lad I am worried my weight might set off the ‘two in a cubicle’ alarms!”.
A total of £170,000 is being spent on the futuristic toilets, with £135,000 paid by the town council and £35,000 paid by Bridgend Council.
They will replace the site’s current facilities, which the town council says have outlived their lifespan.
People will have to pay to use the toilets but it has not been decided how much.
Town councilor Mike Clarke told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Rebuilding the public toilets is an important element of Porthcawl Town Council’s ambition to ensure that Porthcawl is a great place to live, work and to visit.”
(Agencies)
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