Ipswich Parkrun attendees warned not to urinate in public

Organisers of a Parkrun have warned participants not to urinate in the park, following complaints.

Directors of the Christchurch Park event in Ipswich said they had received reports from Ipswich Borough Council of attendees regularly relieving themselves in public.

Posting on social media, they said: “Please respect our hosts, fellow Parkrunners and other park users and use the facilities provided in the park.”

The council has been approached for comment.

In the post, the event directors said the council reported that a member of its parks team had witnessing urination happening next to a public toilet block.

The statement on Facebook said: “The park is a shared public space used by families, dog walkers, and visitors participating in a wide range of activities, and such behaviour has the potential to cause offence and distress to others, as well as placing park staff in difficult and inappropriate situations when required to address it.”

It said the public toilet block near the Westerfield Road gate was opened at the same time as the park, and that in future, public toilets at the Reg Driver Centre would be opened from about 08:45, before the weekly event.

“If you have any issues accessing these facilities please let the RD [run director] on the day know so that the event team can contact council staff,” it added.