As many Freshers will have discovered at the start of last term, under the burden of peer pressure and ‘tradition’, punting involves a ‘relaxing’ trip along the River Cam in a rickety wooden shell cobbled together in a carpenter’s lunch hour.  

However, such a pleasurable punting experience was denied to three unfortunate Chinese tourists whose foray into Cambridge custom left them dangerously close to a sharp three-foot drop in the river. Fletcher Brock, a witness, noticed the hapless tourists struggling to navigate and recalls people “laughing at them because it looked funny”.

It was at this point Mr. Brock observed that the "current was really strong" and, upon becoming “very worried” about their safety, informed Scudamore’s punt hire. The company dispatched three rescue punts to tow the tourists back, reaching them just before they crashed over the edge.

Scudamore then began to restrict availability, as Brock recalls: “When I went back I saw three punts towing the punt the Chinese group were on. Scudamore's told me they were restricting punt hire because of the current. It was pretty dangerous if you didn't know what you were doing."

Similar punt-related disasters have occurred recently. On 12th January, passengers were forced to jump to safety when violent weather plunged their punt into a sluice, a large gate used to control the flow of water. 

Fear of future accidents is encouraging the development of a punt warning system. Jed Ramsey, who manages the river for Cam Conservators, advises even the most "experienced chauffeurs" to avoid perilous conditions for fear of injury.

Students, whose main motive in going punting typically rests on the expectation of someone falling in, may be disheartened to hear that there have been appeals for novices to be trained before they embark on the River Cam. That said, the Environment Agency consider this a serious issue and will be developing a "warning system based on data on river flows."

Whether it may prove simpler to just avoid punting in bad weather remains to be seen.