- People travel in coaches from across the UK for the Otley run, in Headingley
Irate locals living near a famous pub crawl have blasted drunk crowds for taking drugs and urinating in their gardens.
Every weekend, thousands of boozers, many wearing fancy dress, flock to the Otley Run, in Headingley, Leeds, to take on the mammoth 18-venue route.
But as the drinks flow, behaviour often becomes out of control and residents have complained drinkers are taking drugs in front of their homes and urinating in their gardens.
Others have said the behaviour is so bad it is like living next to the raucous nightclubs and bars of Spanish party capital Magaluf.
Fed up residents on a quiet street have even installed a locked gate across their road to stop drunks causing mayhem.
Local Vicky Duffy, 42, told MailOnline: ‘It is getting out of control. Every week there just seems to be more and more gangs wandering about.
‘They don’t care where they go to the toilet – in our gardens or against our cars.
‘And the girls are just as bad – whipping off their knickers to have a pee for everyone to see. They have no shame.’
Boozers out on the Otley Run pub crawl, in Leeds, on Easter Saturday. Fed up locals have accused sozzled bar-hoppers of urinating in their gardens and want it banned
Every weekend, thousands of boozers, many wearing fancy dress, flock to Headingley in a bid to sup a pint in each of the 18 pubs on the route
After a torrent of complaints, police have vowed to clamp down on antisocial behaviour with offenders now facing fines of up to £1,000.
The pub crawl, which first began in the late 1960s, was traditionally a rite-of-passage for students clad in fancy dress.
But since the pandemic, the number of boozy, hen and stag parties taking part in the two-and-a-half mile pub crawl has increased, often causing serious headaches for those living and working in the area.
One fed-up local is Richard Bailey, 69, who said people use the street and the gardens where he lives as a toilet, to take drugs, and have sex.
‘We put a gate across the road to try to stop this, which has stopped them having sex but they still jump over the gate to go to the toilet,’ he told MailOnline.
‘And it’s not just blokes relieving themselves but girls too.
‘We leave Headingley at the weekends and go out elsewhere. Fortunately, we don’t see much fighting here but I have seen fights further into Headingley and it’s frightening.
‘I am not against young people and students having fun. The students are as good as gold.
‘It’s just the sheer volume of people and we are seeing a lot of older people too.
‘The pubs also serve the drinks in glasses, which either end up smashed on the pavement or thrown into our gardens.
‘I don’t think the police or local authority are across this. Every Monday, there’s broken glass on the ground, which is something the pubs could control.
Amy Radley, 33, who works at fancy dress shop Smiffys, is a big supporter and said ‘It is all good fun and good for business’ (Pictured: Revellers in fancy dress queue outside a pub)
As the drinks flow, the revellers’ behaviour becomes viler and out of control – often spilling onto the streets – and fed-up residents say they are turning the area into Magaluf
Easter Saturday boozers in fancy dress march down the street while on the Otley run pub crawl
Two pals chuckle as they fall into a planter as they celebrate the last bank holiday of the summer in August 2023
‘They don’t want it curbing or banning because it makes them a fortune.’
Locals believe the raucous antics has got worse since the pandemic with youths from across the UK travelling in coaches for a boozy trip.
Resident and businessman Harry Boocock, who runs The Hair Studio, said the drunks’ crude antics has affected trade.
The 76-year-old said: ‘It is disgusting. We have drunks banging on the salon door or walking in and shouting at us for a haircut.
‘We have some clients who won’t come in on a Saturday because of this. We often see people sniffing cocaine on the street. They are not discreet about it.
‘I don’t mind them having fun but not at the expense of others.
‘Some of the behaviour is really bad. It’s full of gangs of rowdy lads and it’s becoming like Magaluf.’
Louise Hodgson, 44, no longer wants to go to her local for a drink at the weekend because of what she describes as a ‘trail of destruction’ that is caused by the sozzled bar-hoppers.
‘I’m all for people going out and enjoying themselves but some of the behaviour is shocking,’ she said.
‘The Otley Run used to be mainly for students but they are in the minority now. It was a fun thing and a well-known characteristic of the area, which didn’t cause too much trouble,’
More people in fancy dress swarm the market town to take part in the famous pub crawl
Police have vowed to clamp down on antisocial behaviour that occurs on the boozy pub crawl after a torrent of complaints
A group of mates collapse on the street and burst out into hysterics on Easter Saturday
‘You regularly see groups of middle-aged men and women staggering down or the street or worse, weeing in the street.
‘If you say anything to them, they say they know it’s illegal but don’t really care.
But not all share the residents’ opinion, with some claiming the Otley Run is good for the area.
Amy Radley, 33, who works at fancy dress shop Smiffys, is a big supporter.
She said: ‘It is all good fun and good for business. Everyone is in good spirits because they are dressed up in different costumes and there is hardly ever any trouble.
‘We have been here for 22 years, and everyone likes to dress up and just have a good time.
‘I don’t think there is anything wrong with the Otley Run and it shouldn’t be banned. Banning it would be an over-reaction.
‘There will be more trouble in Leeds city centre at a weekend than there is here.
‘I know there are issues with people going to the toilet in the street, so maybe the council could have a look at installing portaloos.’
General manager John Allen, 45, asked for Arcadia bar to be included on the official run just two weeks ago.
He said: ‘Since I began working here, I wanted to be included on the run.
‘Every Saturday, I’d see masses of people walk past the bar without coming in. The bar would be really quiet, so from a financial point, it made sense.
‘Some of the regulars didn’t like it because it was a bit of a safe haven away from crowds and sadly a few have stopped coming in but we had to do it.
‘Since becoming part of the run, footfall has increased massively, and, so far, we haven’t had any trouble.
Leeds City Council has vowed to work with the police to curb vile behaviour.
An on-the-spot fines scheme designed to tackle public urination, littering and harassment along the route of the Otley Run is in place until 2026
Calls have been made by locals for the Otley run to be banned due to the antisocial behaviour caused by the sheer volume of people attending
Leeds City Council said the public space protection order (PSPO) would target poor behaviour rather than responsible pub-goers
Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence and penalties included a fixed penalty notice of up to £100, or a fine of up to £1,000 on prosecution in the magistrates’ court
Former councillor Neil Walshaw previously claimed a rise in the number of binge drinkers on the route led to more antisocial behaviour and female residents in the area being harassed.
He said: ‘On one level, it’s a lot of undergraduate larks and it can be taken not very seriously.
‘But actually we do need to take it seriously because over the last three or four years, and particularly since we came out of lockdown, the Otley Run has got larger and much more intense.’
He added: ‘Judging from the hairlines and the waistlines, it’s not undergraduates – it’s Gavin and Gary from accounts who are coming back to relive their glory days of ten years ago.
‘But joking aside, it’s all led to some cases that we’re picking up of on-street harassment of female residents.
‘On a Friday and Saturday, Headingley looks like Magaluf at times.’
An on-the-spot fines scheme designed to tackle public urination, littering and harassment along the route of the Otley Run is in place until 2026.
Leeds City Council said the public space protection order (PSPO) would target poor behaviour rather than responsible pub-goers.
Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence and penalties included a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of up to £100, or a fine of up to £1,000 on prosecution in the magistrates’ court.