China has moved to wipe-out the theft of loo-roll by installing facial-recognition cameras in one of its busiest toilets.

People using the toilet in Tiantan Park in Beijing – one of the city’s major tourist sites – will only receive a 60 centimetre serving of paper after they have conducted a facial scan.

After meting out the loo roll, the software will deny the same person paper within nine minutes of their first scan, reports said.

Authorities acted after a growing number of visitors to public toilets in China have raided the dispensers and taken the paper back home for daily use.

“Some people still lack paper use manners,” said a report by China Radio International (CRI).

CRI cited a toilet attendant saying: “Some people take much more paper than needed and sometimes even take a whole roll away with them.