Punt wars get dirty

August 24, 2009

The Cambridge “punt wars” escalated recently when two of The Punting Company’s boats were sawn in half during a night-time raid.

Cambridge’s punting industry is worth approximately £2.5 million a year and there is intense competition for customers on the River Cam.

This latest incident is an example of the lengths that the rival companies will go to. Previously competitors have employed stink bombs, squirted washing up liquid onto the boats so that people are unable to stand in them and have cut the chains securing punts to their moorings.

Sam Matthews of The Punting Company said: “If it’s happened to me, who’s next?”

The general manager of the oldest punting company in Cambridge, Scudamore’s, said that the chopping up of punts was “a new departure.” He went on to point out that: “We’ve had argy-bargy, touts fighting over tourists, pushing and shoving, yes. But everyone is a bit shocked because it is not something we have known before.”

Some locals think that it is now time to put a cap on the number of punts on the Cam. At present if you have a punt in good working order and you pay a fee to Cam Conservators who look after the river, there is little to stop you getting a license to operate.

Thanks to www.taipeitimes.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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Written by Allison Stuart · Filed Under Recreation 

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