The frantic feeling of desperately needing to release your bladder when there's no bathroom in sight is one of the most distressing out there.

Between worrying that your bladder may just explode and trying to ignore the problem only for your mind to be occupied by every single possible toilet-thought known to mankind, the facet of human functioning suddenly seems an inconvenience at best.

And it's usually at this point that the extraordinary happens.

This was indeed the case for a woman in Singapore who, whilst travelling on a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train, decided it would be a good idea to simply relieve herself in public.

According to local news outlet Asia One, the incident unfolded on Monday 29 August 2022 when a woman, believed to be in her 20s and seemingly intoxicated, was spotted on a North-South line train travelling towards Jurong East MRT station lying flat across three train seats around 12:35am.

Much to the astonishment of commuters, while the train journeyed between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Gombak MRT stations, the woman suddenly arose and somehow staggered across three train cabins, leaving behind one of her bags.

When she arrived at the third cabin, unmasked and coughing intensely, she placed herself on one of the corner seats, pulled down her shorts and assumed a squatting position.

Then, to everyone's horror, she did the unthinkable and began to freely urinate in public.

It is understood a nearby passenger, understandably disgruntled, promptly stood up and exited the cabin upon catching sight of the woman.

Shortly afterwards, a twinkling torrent of urine could be seen dribbling down the cabin floor before making its way to the front of the train.

SOCIAL MEDIA USERS RESPOND TO WOMAN URINATING ON TRAIN AS NEWS DOES THE ROUNDS

According to Asia One, the woman carried on her train journey until she reached Jurong East MRT station.

Once arriving, she proceeded to the escalator where she decided to sit on the steps to exit the station.

Only after being nudged by a helpful man offering to assist her to stand up at the end of the escalator did the woman finally decide to stand up.

As one would expect, the startling news story made headlines across social media, with users jesting the urinating woman's conduct.

On popular news and discussion website, Reddit, one user joked the woman "took live streaming the wrong way".

"She had a Most Relieved Trip and left a long-lasting scent trail," another person commented, drawing upon a crafty pun, while elsewhere a commenter pointed to the woman's intoxication, saying, "What alcohol and heartbreak do to a mf".

But perhaps the situation was best captured by a person who simply said, "WTF".

According to Singaporean law, under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleaning Regulations), it is an offence to urinate or defecate "in or upon any street, arcade, vacant land, river, canal, ditch, drain or watercourse or in any place to which the public has access except in any sanitary convenience provided for such purpose".

If a person is found guilty of an offence, they can face a fine of up to $1,000 for a first offence, up to $2,000 for a second offence, and up to $5,000 for a third.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS ABOUT URINATING IN PUBLIC IN NSW

No matter how full your bladder is, it's never a good idea to relieve yourself in public.

Needless to say, in most places across the world , urinating in public is considered offensive behaviour.

This is because such an act defies the standards of behaviour that society generally upholds and expects.

In NSW, the law on offensive conduct is reflected in Section 4 of the Summary Offences Act 1988.

Section 4 states that a person must not conduct themselves in an offensive manner in or near, or within view or hearing from, a public place or school.

The maximum penalty for an offence is a fine of $660 or imprisonment for three months.

It is worth noting that under this section, one does not conduct themselves in an offensive manner merely by using offensive language.

Furthermore, it is a sufficient defence to a prosecution for an offence if the defendant satisfies the court that they had a reasonable excuse for their behaviour.

Offensive conduct cases are considered "summary offences", meaning that they are finalised in the Local Court, not the District or Supreme Court.

Here is more on the offence of obscene exposure in NSW.