Beijing officials have introduced a new ruling aimed at beautifying the city's public lavatories. The Beijing Municipal Commission of City Administration and Environment has announced that there will be a limit of two flies in each cubicle. The city has directed its washroom attendants to pay greater attention to toilet cleanliness and be especially vigilant when it comes to flies.

City spokesman Xie Guomin said the ruling was a "new standard for public toilet management". He added: "We will not actually count fly numbers. The regulation is specific and quantified, but the inspection methodology will be flexible." Mr Guomin also said there were no measures in place to enforce the ruling.

The two-fly limit is part of a wider initiative to improve toilet cleanliness in Beijing. It is a continuation of measures introduced in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics. The rules will be implemented in places such as parks and public gardens, tourist spots, railway stations, hospitals and shopping malls.

Other rules cover the setting of standards on odours in toilets, the type of cleaning equipment used by public toilet staff and the cleaning of litter bins. The guidelines on litter say that no more than two discarded items should be left in a toilet and they should be removed within 30 minutes. The 'Beijing Times' reported that the city's toilets have improved greatly in recent years, especially those for women.

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