POLICE have condemned people who urinate in York's streets and warned that they face a fine and possible arrest.

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman spoke out as fresh pictures emerged of two women urinating near York's riverside in Peckitt Street, and after a man and a woman were caught doing so in the city centre last weekend.

She said: "Behaviour like this is completely unacceptable. Those who partake in urinating in an outdoor public space will face a fine and potentially even arrest, depending upon the circumstances.

"There is no excuse for anyone to do this as there are plenty of public toilets available and we strongly suggest people use them to avoid being challenged by our officers."

The picture of the two women in Peckitt Street was obtained with a CCTV camera towards the end of last month, when the problem was at its worst before pubs reopened, according to a local businessman and resident.

He said between 30 and 40 people were going into the street every hour to urinate during the worst spell, when the riverside was packed with people drinking until the early hours.

He felt that in retrospect, portable toilets should have been installed on the riverside or in Tower Gardens to forestall the problem.

He added that the problem had eased since pubs reopened, offering toilets, but it hadn't gone away.

Another local businessman said: "It's really quite amazing how people have no shame.

"The courts have had the same issue with people accessing their courtyard from Lower Friargate - literally hundreds of people all peeing in there, with lots of girls.

"Its disgusting but it was all because there was nowhere else to go and the council should have reacted faster. The problem has now receded because there are WCs in pubs etc available but lessons need to be learned."

The Press reported at the weekend how a police officer had tweeted that a woman was encountered urinating in the street and reported for summons, adding: "This behaviour will not be tolerated. Please use toilets before leaving a premises."

Another tweeted that their shift had started with a report for summons and dispersal of a man urinating in the street.