War on wee in Cheltenham: Punters warned to hold their horses if they feel the call of nature

And they're off – thousands of Irish punters have begun the annual pilgrimage to Cheltenham for the “Olympics of jump racing” but they’ve been warned to hold their horses if they feel the call of nature in the nearby town.

Almost 250,000 racing fans are set to descend on the famous Cotswold racecourse for one of the biggest horse-racing festivals in the country, with four days of exhilarating racing culminating on Friday with the 100th anniversary of the iconic Gold Cup.

But Cheltenham Borough Council has launched a “war on wee” after complaints about public urination blighting the town during race week.

Local Liberal Democrats councillor Max Wilkinson called earlier this year for increased enforcement by police and a campaign to tackle the problem, especially during the race week festival.

"Public urination at any time is disgusting," he said.

Cheltenham Festival

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"It is illegal, unpleasant to see, and makes many people feel uncomfortable or threatened, particularly women. Last year, I saw a line of men brazenly weeing against a wall near the town centre, while hundreds of people sat in traffic queues just yards away — they were totally shameless. We shouldn't have to put up with this anymore."

The council has now arranged for the installation of additional public loos in the town centre and launched a social media campaign warning racegoers that their town is not their toilet.

“If you have to go, please use the toilets provided around the town and not the town itself,” it has said in its public messaging.

Town leaders have also advised racegoers to know where the taxi ranks are and that private hire vehicles must be booked in advance and cannot be hailed in the street.

They are planning to undertake a range of test purchasing operations and drivers found guilty of illegally plying for hire face fines of £1,000 (€1,175) and the prospect of losing their licence.

Racegoers who do not book ahead have been advised to head to one of the authorised taxi ranks or to only flag down Cheltenham Borough Council hackney carriages.

€1bn gambled

Meanwhile, bookmakers estimate that almost €1bn will be gambled over the four-day festival, which opens on Tuesday with the first of its four feature races, the Champion Hurdle, with Constitution Hill the favourite after destroying the field in last year’s edition.

The Grade Two National Hunt Chase on the same day will be run in honour of the late Maureen Mullins, the matriarch of the famous Irish racing dynasty who was known affectionately as the ‘first lady of Irish racing’, who passed away aged 94 on February 14.

She was a winning rider, and an owner and breeder. Her late husband Paddy saddled half a dozen Festival winners which included the great mare Dawn Run, the only horse in history to win the Champion Hurdle (1984) and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (1986).

Her five children have also had a huge impact on the festival, especially her trainer son Willie who has saddled a record 94 winners at Cheltenham.

Her other sons Tony and Tom have also enjoyed success as trainers at the festival while grandsons Patrick, Danny and Emmet have all ridden festival winners.

Legendary trainer Willie Mullins also stands on the verge of history, needing just six winners over the next four days to bring him up to a century of Cheltenham festival successes - a feat that has never been achieved before.

The main event on Style Wednesday is the Champion Chase, with Willie Mullins’ emerging jumper El Fabiolo heading the odds.

The Gordon Elliott-trained Teahupoo looks set to go off favourite in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle on the St Patrick’s Day Thursday racing highlight, with the festival culminating on Friday with the centenary running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with another Mullins’ stable star, Galopin Des Champs, set to go to post as favourite.

There will be as much activity off the track, with Vogue Williams performing a live DJ set after racing on Style Wednesday in the racecourse’s Centaur venue.