FIVE men have been handed fines and court costs totalling more than £1300 after they were caught urinating in public in York.

The fines were handed out by magistrates in York earlier this week, to men from York, Middlesborough, Co Durham, and Lancashire, after City of York Council worked with the police to bring the prosecutions.

The biggest fine went to 37-year-old York man Martin Coheeney, of Sutherland Street, who was caught urinating in an alley off Micklegate in the evening of Friday, June 9. He told police he had been "caught short", and was handed fines and court costs of £372.

Twenty-nine year old Darren Tillotson, from Queen Street, Whalley, Lancashire, has been left paying £350 after he was caught urinating in York Races car park on day when the races would have hosted 28,000 visitors.

Paul Ableson, 52, of Coronation Green, Ormesby, Middlesborough, was caught earlier in the month on Thursday, May 18, urinating into a hedge on Poppleton Road. After costs and surcharges were added his fine adds up to £291.

A week earlier, 27-year-old Christopher Lamb had been caught urinating against a wall in Piccadilly, in full view of people passing, at 6.50pm on Friday, May 12. Lamb had told police he had acted like that because he "didn't know York", but magistrates fined him £154, plus the costs of £130.

Finally, 36-year-old Emlyn Thomas, of the Arclight, York was fined £70 after he was spotted by two passers-by urinating in St Denys churchyard on Walmgate.

Cllr Sam Lisle, City of York Council's executive member for safer neighbourhoods, said: “Urinating in public is offensive, insanitary and illegal.

"All licensed premises in York have toilets which customers can use before leaving, so there is no excuse for this unpleasant and anti-social health hazard."