i wasn't sure what to do

Well, I've peed in a hedge (and worse) on occasion. As needs must. It's better than the alternative.

No harm done. In past times, women used to pee where they stood. They had to.

GandTea this is not about you. It was about a public gardens. I suspect that like most of us, you would take sufficient personal responsibility not to have to pee in a location like that.
A client of mine was arrested in mid flow by 2 policemen btw. He made damned sure he never did that again. I reiterate this was not a poor sick man, not a small child and was in a public recreation area. Still unacceptable. Alcohol has a lot to answer for.

You did the right thing, I.e. Nothing. He was harmless. Public loos are getting as rare (and as unused) as public phone boxes. I heard a very respectable looking man asking for a loo in the library the other day: he was politely but firmly turned away.

I prefer to be non-judgemental, we don't know his situation, any of us could one day be in his position. He was obviously discreet, so what harm was done. I feel sorry for anyone where life has bought them down to that way of life.

Public urination is an offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.
Hundreds of local authority/railway byelaws are involved in deciding whether the person urinating was committing an offence and it all boils down to common sense and individual circumstances – i.e. how much effort the person was making not to blatantly urinate in people’s faces (figuratively speaking).
So there you are - if you found it offensive it might be a good idea to mention it to the cops!

MOnica I have not seen public urination in France for years. It was always, I seem to remember, lorry drivers peeing into the hedges at the side of the road. Now they all seem to use the motorways so I expect they stop at the services.
In England it wouldn't bother me if the poor old chap, who probably has dodgy kidneys, was discreet. What are they supposed to do if they are out for a walk,caught short and the public loos are all closed?
Small children seem to pee anywhere they like and nobody seems offended.

We have a holiday home in Normandy and while public unrination is not as common now as when we bought the house 25 years ago. It is still happening in our neck of the woods. We travel mainly on local A & B roads

At one point our local builders merchant had a sign on his outside wall, the English translation of which was 'Please do not urinate against this wall'

Oh dear, some people do get their (what would appear rather tight) knickers in a twist! Of course drunkeness isn't an excuse for any bad behaviour but at least this guy didn't just stay on his bench & pee, he had the decency to go behind a hedge. Realistically local councils have a lot to answer for. If they are closing many public toilets, where are people supposed to go? Closing them doesn't stop people's natural needs! (Incidentally the largest car park in Europe aka the M25 often has a line of men at the side with their backs to the road when there is a huge traffic jam!)

Thrillednanny. ...I agree with you.
LA'S are being so unfair in closing many public loos. What are folk to do ??

Just wish you'd had a baseball bat on your person! Quick slap from that and he'd probably have vacated the area!!

My car has suicide doors, which means total privacy when you open both doors, very handy on long journeys.

Vandalism was the reason for the closure of so many public lavatories. The councils couldn't keep up with the constant need for repairs and removal of graffiti. Perhaps local referenda would clarify whether residents would prefer an increase in council tax or a reduction in the provision of these facilities.

As long as there are not crowds of drunks peeing everywhere I would tend towards ignoring one chap (there but for the GoG) who is obviously in an unhappy place in his life!

Exactly

Don't tell me none of you have never had a pee outside a loo I have ...admitted not in a public park but on a country walk, one time I was out went in a secluded area behind some trees only to look up and realise there was another path above the trees in full view of my squat
Paula Radcliffe did the ultimate didn't she when on that televised run..... quick squat down, shorts to one side and relief phew

My GC are always having a "country wee" when they get caught short.

And what does one do when caught short? Go behind a bush seems a reasonable solution. I have a Shewee - brilliant.

I can imagine the reaction of the local constabulary if the OP had reported a drunk for peeing in a hedge. If he'd been exposing himself it would have been quite a different matter. Let's not get too prim about such a minor incident.

And what about Carol Thatcher on I'm a Celebrity? When you've got to go, you've got to go! We need more public loos with attendants like there used to be. Give more jobs to the unemployed! (Although I expect Brits would rather stay on benefits!)

But Carol Thatcher just couldn't be bothered to make her way to the toilet provided, that's different entirely!

When I'm gardening, behind the shed, out of sight, is my venue for a pee.

TMI, G&T. However, I understand that urine makes a good compost accelerator.

Yes it does, this may be too much information, but I use a jam jar in my workshop or behind the shed, it then goes on the compost heap.

Public urination really irks me. Driving up north last week we (Granny friend and I ) saw a young man in full view of all the traffic having a wee. Tooted my horn the result was priceless ???

I don't have a problem with this at all. The man needed a pee; there was no public loo; so what is he meant to do? If he had been waving it in the breeze then it would have been unacceptable - but a pee behind a bush - no probs.

When we first moved to The Netherlands I was surprised to see notices asking people not to urinate in public, but it was not uncommon to see blokes peeing up against a wall. At least the man you refer to was trying to be discreet. I see this all the time when I am fishing where the are no facilities - rivers and remote reservoirs. Well, you can't pee in your waders can you? ?