DRUNKEN revellers are regularly urinating in the doorways of Colchester’s shops as they have nowhere to relieve themselves, the town’s MP has claimed.

Colchester MP Will Quince has called on Mark Cory, leader of Colchester Council, to tackle the problem after he received complaints from shopkeepers.

He said: “Since the closure of Angel Court as a Colchester Council facility and the loss of the Urilift on the High Street, there has been no urinal provision in the evenings once the other public conveniences have closed.”

Colchester Council chiefs spent more than just a penny when they splashed out £25,000 for the self-cleaning Urilift, which rose from the pavement at 7.30pm every night in High Street.

The toilet was installed partly to tackle an issue with public urination.

But with the unique urinal now redundant and out of use, Mr Quince fears the problem is spilling out on to the streets.

He said: “I entirely understand the council’s desire to promote and support the night-time economy, but the council knows that this comes with a cost.

“Not only is the council left with a considerable clean-up operation, but shopkeepers inform me they regularly have to wash their shop doorways and entrances in the mornings because they are used as proxy urinals.

“This is unacceptable and they should not have to do this.

“While the police do their best and fine those they catch urinating in public, this is treating the symptom and not the cause.”

He added: “The fact that a Urilift exists on the High Street demonstrates the council recognised this was a problem.

“From what shopkeepers are telling me, the situation has deteriorated since its closure.”

Mr Cory said while it is down to the public to take some civic pride in the cleanliness of their town, however, he would listen to feedback.

“There are no current plans for the provision of urinal facilities in the town centre,” he said.

“The Urilift had its faults and I just don’t think it worked too well.

“I have been known in the past to say, quite up front and clearly, that we need to have a zero tolerance policy towards people doing this kind of thing.

“I am willing to talk to him about this issue and we will be working with businesses to see what feedback they give us.”