'I'm at my wits' end' - Edinburgh resident's fury over her Leith street becoming a 'public urinal'

A woman has described the street she lives in as a “public urinal” after seeing someone “every 15 minutes” peeing outside her door.

The Leith resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the toilet-goers have increased in numbers since lockdown restrictions started to ease on Thursday.

According to her, most of the brazen visitors to this popular “hiding” spot - where Links Gardens meets Links Gardens Lane – walk over from Leith Links in their numbers.

“I am at my wits’ end,” she said.

“I have lived here for four years and I have never seen anything like this before.

“There was a point where I could look out the window every 15 minutes or so and I would see someone out there peeing each time.

“There are just pools of urine by the end of the night, it’s disgusting.”

She said a few people have also used the area as a spot for taking drugs.

“I saw someone snorting something thinking they were hidden before they peed, then they just headed back to the Links to join their group of friends in the sun,” she added.

“Sometimes I walk up the lane to see if anyone’s there and it absolutely reeks, especially in the hot sun.”

The disgruntled resident said she has tried to report the indecent behaviour to the police but she was warned little can be done unless someone is caught in the act.

“The information has been passed onto the local police station,” she said.

“I wanted to share it because I don’t know if others are going through similar issues, and if so, if they had any ideas on what could be done to prevent this.

“It's quite upsetting to see as I've lived on this street for years and I have never seen this happen, at least not so frequently and in broad daylight.

“There are also young children who live on this street, so it's a bit concerning to think about strangers nipping down here to pee outside their homes.”

Edinburgh City Council leader Adam McVey said all public toilets in Edinburgh are currently closed and, due to the pandemic, it is not possible to open and operate them safely.

He added: “At the moment, guidance from Health Protection Scotland and Scottish Government is clear.

“It suggests that people should only be travelling to places where they can get back home to the toilet easily.

“Those visiting locations such as Portobello should be following that guidance very carefully - urinating in public is an offence and disrespectful of residents nearby so please plan ahead and don’t do it.

“We will re-open public toilets as soon as it is safe to for both the public and our staff – we will continue to act responsibly so that people to have confidence in the facilities.”

Police Scotland confirmed they had received reports of anti-social behaviour at the trouble spot in Leith.

A police spokesman said: “Police received a report around 4.35pm on Saturday, 30 May, of anti-social behaviour in the street in Links Gardens, Edinburgh.

“Officers are paying passing attention to the street and have stepped up patrols in the area.”