ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

UK pubs are spraying their washrooms with an invisible film claimed to prevent people from taking drugs.

Described as a non-toxic mixture of resins and surfactants, the Blokit spray is being used to coat washroom surfaces such as toilet cisterns and baby changing tables. According to the manufacturers the spray spoils the cocaine, dramatically reducing drug use in pubs as a result.

But drug experts claim that the spray is unlikely to be effective since many cocaine users snort the drug from their keys, bank cards or mobile phones rather than use the washroom fixtures.

The spray, made by Millwood Manufacturing, is the latest in a series of tactics by police and publicans to prevent people from snorting drugs in pub toilets. Some venues have eradicated all flat surfaces in the washrooms by pebble-dashing the cisterns and covering the hand dryers with gravel. Others employ specialist toilet bouncers to deter restroom snorting.

And one strategy involved coating washroom surfaces with WD40, a policy that police are now advising against on health grounds.

The Blokit spray is being used in 600 licensed premises across the country as well as in cinemas, colleges and libraries according to Millwood.

Adam Waugh, who works for drug harm reduction charity Psycare UK, said: "This is the latest in a long line of gimmicks to have been suggested by police to reduce cocaine use in pubs and bars. The problem is that none of these initiatives reduce the use of harmful drugs - at best, they displace it."