Summary
A man was reported to the police this week for allegedly defecating in the street in a Cotswold village struggling with overtourism . A photograph circulating on Facebook appears to show a man crouched in broad daylight with his trousers down next to a bush, where Letch Lane meets Victoria Street in Bourton-on-the-Water on Monday, August 24.
Details
Residents say the man reportedly left the faeces and “a load of toilet paper” in the bush. The “shocking” incident was reported to Cotswold District Council (CDC) and the police. However, the constabulary says the person could not be identified from the photo and it was deemed disproportionate to investigate further.
County councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach) reported the issue to the district council’s environmental health team. He said: “It is shocking! Residents are right to be really angry about this happening in their streets.
“I have reported it to CDC environmental health but I imagine without a formal identification of the individual it would be difficult to establish his identity. “It ties in with local residents feeling that their village is being hugely impacted by the volume of tourists.
“Of course the vast majority of visitors respect the place but this incident is beyond the pale.” Councillor Len Wilkins (C, Bourton Vale), who represents part of the village at the district council, said such “unacceptable” behaviour from some visitors is “not uncommon”. He said he saw a visitor defecating by the footpath which leads from the tennis club towards the village last year.
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“That was a visitor then,” he said. “It’s a shock. It’s definitely not acceptable.
“Perhaps we need one of those booklets which tells people what you don’t do in Bourton. “To an extent, it’s not uncommon. I was walking round through the car park and there was a whole series of white paper people had been using for such purposes.
“And then we had the incident by Jubilee Lodge where they were urinating against a wall.” Such incidents are not automatically a police matter and it depends on a number of factors such as whether it is in a public or private space, and whether the person had medical or mental health issues. The district council was made aware of the incident but declined to comment as it was a police matter.
What You Need to Know
“Perhaps we need one of those booklets which tells people what you don’t do in Bourton. “To an extent, it’s not uncommon. I was walking round through the car park and there was a whole series of white paper people had been using for such purposes.
Report source: Gloucestershire Live
