Drunk ‘idiots’ on wild boat stag party SINK 30ft barge and crash another – forcing canal to be closed
A MOB of drunk "idiots" on a stag do managed to SINK a 30ft canal boat and crash a second forcing a massive water network to shut.
The slaughtered blokes wreaked so much havoc they even ended up flooding a nearby road as chaotic scenes erupted in Worcestershire on Friday.
Police and fire crews were called to both incidents as the lads brought sheer carnage to the usually tranquil Droitwich Canal.
Lads from the wedding party had rented three barges from ABC Boat Hire on the afternoon of May 20 for a weekend of fun in the sun.
But it didn't take long before the fellas started knocking back the booze once they were onboard.
Though their waterborne knees up quickly turned into carnage after the lads managed to crash their narrow boat into a terrified fellow sailor shortly after 10pm the same day.
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Amanda Huxtable was left so mortified she dialled 999 on the sloshed lads on tour.
She slammed: "These guys were incapable of being in charge of a 65ft narrowboat."
But the incident did little to deter the fellas from more carousing as the blokes carried on their drink-fuelled carnage.
The chaos then culminated in the unthinkable as the stag party passed through a lock.
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But shortly after trying to navigate the delicate waterway their boat plunged into the drink late on Friday night.
Rescue teams scrambled to the scene and spent most of Saturday trying to recover it so the canal could re-open to boat traffic.
The barge, about 30ft long, was submerged when volunteers from River Canal Rescue arrived.
And because of the mayhem at the lock, water levels rose in the canal, and motorists found nearby roads were flooded.
It understood that the stag lads abandoned their second boat too and all piled aboard the third barge to continue their break.
An investigation has been launched into the incident.
'IDIOTS'
But the incident did not go unnoticed in the local community and sparked fury amongst locals in and around Droitwich.
On social media, one resident called Angelchops said "Apparently these idiots hit several boats before this happened.
"The police were informed but they declined to get involved.
"If they had, perhaps this could have been avoided. Thankfully no one was killed."
Local residents said similar disasters are commonplace on the canal and they called for tighter regulations before there is a tragedy.
Sidney13 wrote "We see hire boats come past our house very often with the person steering enjoying a tipple.
"We've seen them steer into the bank with children at the tiller."
Rousled posted "No one would hire a limo or a light aircraft to someone organising a stag event.
"Why is it legal to be in charge of a boat when drunk? Apart from the risk of damage to infrastructure and other vessels, there is a very real risk of injury or drowning."
A Canal and River Trust spokesperson tweeted: "Rescue team on-site refloating hire boat that has come to grief at the Droitwich lock flights."
"It took all day and it wasn't until 5pm on Saturday evening that the barge was removed from the lock and was once again floating on the canal."
The parties have been removed from the other boats in the group and no one has been hurt
ABC Boat Hire
It meant people on dozens of other barges and pleasure cruisers had to sit and fume, unable to pass through the lock and continue their holidays afloat.
A spokesperson for hire company ABC Boat Hire said: "Full handovers were carried out at the marina before the guests left the boatyard yesterday afternoon.
"The parties have been removed from the other boats in the group and no one has been hurt."
The Canal and Rivers Trust added: "The first time the Trust was notified of the situation was at 9.30pm on Friday night but that was only in relation to some flooding on a nearby road.
"By about 10.15pm it was identified as being related to misuse of the locks.
"At 6.30am on Saturday morning we were notified by the West Midlands Fire Service that a boat had sunk.
"At this point a team from CRT visited the site where it was found that the water had dropped overnight, creating a slight risk.
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"We are relieved that there have been no injuries or anything worse.
"Two of our staff have stayed on-site to make sure it is secure and they are liaising with the fire service and River Canal Rescue."
