Hundreds of parents have laid into York for becoming ‘like Sodom and Gomorrah’ at the weekends.
A thread on Mumsnet saw people queuing up to relate their shocking experiences in the city at the hands of drunken hen and stag parties.
Many vowed never to visit again – and others said they were cancelling plans to visit after reading about the behaviour.
It began with a resident who counted 23 large hen parties on one Saturday and encountered behaviour including:
- loud swearing (F and C word) right in front of/across young families
- completely inappropriate lingerie being worn in the street even before 2pm
- shop doors slammed in elderly shoppers faces
- vomiting in the street.
She asked: “At what point do we just call the police on these ridiculous idiots inflicting such unreasonable behaviour on families and regular people?”
In response, the city authorities say that York remains one of Britain’s safest cities and “continues to be a wonderful place to work, live and socialise”.
But they are going to relaunch the ‘Had Enough’ campaign aimed at minimising the anti-social behaviour.
Hundreds of complaints
The original post led to nearly 700 responses, many of which described their own experiences of weekends in York.
They complained of all manner of unpleasant drunken behaviour, particularly from stag and hen parties, in the day time on a Saturday.
Here are a selection of their comments.
Not coming back
York’s reputation was having a marked effect. “Until I read this thread York was top of my list of places I want to visit before I die. Now it’s not on the list at all,” one Mumsnet member wrote.
Another said: “To all you business owners out there that may be reading this, who support this behaviour: I’ve just decided not to bring my family to York for a weekend away next month!”
And a third wrote: “I won’t hurry back there if I’m honest, didn’t appreciate having to guide my kids around the falling down drunks blocking pavements and staggering around (in the afternoon – we were back at our hotel before 6pm).”
Some posters said they had left the city altogether. “I am from York and moved away precisely because of this behaviour,” one wrote.
“When my son was two/three and still in a push chair some very drunk guy stumbled out of a pub and promptly vomited over my son’s feet then proceeded to lie, paralytic in the path.”
Others called for action. “It’s everyone’s job, people who live in York, people who raise children in York. They should make some noise about this,” one said.
The person who had started the discussion said:
-
I’m glad I’m not the only one who is seeing/disapproving of this horrific plague.
They’re trashing the city and the damage is going to be irreversible.
More posters said city leaders should sort this out. “It sounds like York City Council should stop pandering to undesirable transient visitors and the businesses – bars or private landlords who rent to students who are anti-social – who cater for them,” wrote one.
Another said: “Hopefully now this thread has been shown to the relevant authorities, York will soon be a go to weekend destination again.”
The council’s response
“We welcome anyone who wants to come and enjoy our beautiful city and hospitality responsibly and will act against those who abuse it. The ‘Had Enough’ campaign, which involved numerous partners across the city, sent the clear message that the behaviour of a small minority of people who act inappropriately in our city centre is unacceptable. This campaign is being refreshed and will be launched soon.
“As well as this, there is an ongoing operation (Operation Erase) which is a multi-agency response to late afternoon/early evening alcohol related anti-social behaviour at weekends. This includes work with British Transport Police, the BID rangers, our Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers and police.
“We have regular days of action where we carry out high visibility patrols, put temporary ticket barriers at the station and use our respective powers to engage with anyone behaving inappropriately, encourage them to stop or ultimately issue them with a direction to leave.
“Licensees have also signed up to a code of conduct and the majority do not allow large groups into their premises. As a result of this work, we receive very few complaints from members of the public.
“Other initiatives include the Cumulative Impact Zone, and use of Public Space Protection Orders banning the consumption of alcohol in locations where anti-social behaviour levels have increased. These are aimed at all in the city, whether residents or visitors as part of a multi-agency response to tackle anti-social behaviour.
“York remains one of the safest cities in the UK and York continues to be a wonderful place to work, live and socialise. We will continue to work with partners in the private, public and voluntary sectors to tackle anti-social behaviour and make sure the city remains a great place to visit for everyone.
“We ask anyone who experiences anti-social behaviour to report it to the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”