A THERAPY worker has been left shocked after seeing a woman urinating in public in Swindon town centre.

The woman, who was drinking alcohol, is said to have squatted down in the Fleming Way underpass between the town centre and Swindon bus station and relieved herself, before getting on a bus and asking people if they had any crisps. 

Karen Price, from Haydon Wick, was in the town centre at 3pm on Tuesday, April 11, doing therapy work with her dog at the Swindon hub and saw the incident on her way home. 

"While walking in the underpass between the town centre and the bus station, I thought a woman had fallen over. But when I got near, she was actually urinating in the underpass," she said.

"The woman then came into the bus station and was drinking. She got onto the bus and asked people if they had crisps. This was at three o'clock.

"The town centre is now becoming a horrible place to be in the daytime."

Karen visits the town centre every two weeks to do therapy work with her service dog and she regularly visits various organisations in and around Swindon. She often uses the town's bus services to get the dog used to people and environments.

"The journey to and from town is an excellent training ground, and we meet adults and children. Therapy dogs are an amazing source of help and insight into people," she said."

But she added that during this time she has noticed a significant decline in the shopping area since she first moved to a 'thriving' Swindon 36 years ago. 

"I was sad that something like this was happening in a busy environment. I had passed the old Debenham's, where the doorway had guys with pushbikes messing about, then I saw the women urinating, and then I saw people drinking in the bus station."

She added that there were often gangs of young men roaming around in the area as well which made her feel less safe. 

Addressing what needs to happen to improve things, Karen said: "Hopefully, the news yesterday of the Honda building being dismantled might attract businesses and regenerate the area.

"But immediately? That needs to be a priority for the local authorities and police to sort out."