Norfolk Broads boat hire firm bans alcohol after antisocial behaviour
A Norfolk Broads boating company has banned tourists from consuming alcohol on its vessels after incidents of antisocial behaviour, including people urinating off the side of the boats.
Mary Sparrow, the director of Hippersons boatyard, said a minority of guests would visit the Broads just to drink on the water all day, leading to staff facing abuse and boats being damaged by intoxicated customers.
She said she expected the problem to be discussed at the next meeting of Visit the Broads, which represents businesses in the area.
“We started to see a minority of our guests loading up the day boats with crates of beer and things and it was causing problems,” Sparrow told the Telegraph
“There was some damage done to the boats a few years back and it meant it was affecting our income. Some guests were coming back drunk and being abusive to staff and that’s really not fair on our staff – if they behaved that way in a pub they’d get banned.”
She said the alcohol ban, which was introduced last year, had been a success and not put people off using the company: “We wondered if we would lose all our customers and we haven’t. A lot of people are really pleased with the rule and think it’s a good thing.”
The Broads Authority, which has statutory responsibility for the waterways, said it encouraged a sensible approach to drinking and it was up to individual boating companies to determine their own policies.
“We always tell people to balance their alcohol intake,” Rob Rogers, the director of operations, told the BBC. “Always wear a lifejacket and don’t overindulge in alcohol.”
There are no national laws against recreational boat users navigating on water while under the influence of alcohol, but a Norfolk Broads bylaw states that “a person
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