Sobering-up stations raising charges as majority of users leave without paying

Sobering-up stations are upping their charges because the vast majority of their clients leave without paying, the Czech News Agency reported. The amount drunk tanks charge varies widely. In Kroměříž, for instance, the inebriated have to pay almost CZK 13,000 (close to USD 750) a night. By contrast in Kolín the fee is only CZK 600. Operators say many of those who avail of the service are homeless or foreigners. The world’s first sobering-up station opened at Prague’s U Apolináře hospital in 1951.

Author: Ian Willoughby