St Andrews University is to investigate claims that students were involved in “vile” rowdiness and drunken debauchery in the town centre at the weekend just days after education chiefs threatened to withdraw their support for the traditional Raisin Weekend if they did not behave.
The Courier was contacted by a visitor to the town who said she was “shocked” by what she saw on Sunday afternoon and accused students of running “out of control”.
Mother-of-two Mandy Miller, 42, of Ceres, said her husband and their four-month-old baby were left in fear after their car was “surrounded by students and doors and windows were battered” while driving along Hope Street at 2.30pm.
She said: “Raisin Sunday gave licence to some pretty astonishing and intimidating scenes in St Andrews.Our car was surrounded and blocked on Hope Street by a group of drunken students, who proceeded to batter the roof of the car, despite the screams of our baby.Photo gallery: Raisin Monday foam fight“We later had to make way and seemingly not object as hoards of braying teenagers staggered and screeched around the streets, patronising weary shopkeepers and displaying tedious infantile behaviour.
“They were climbing all over thefountain on Market Street, and vomiting teenagers had to be circumnavigated. It was a vile atmosphere.
“St Andrews is too small a town to allow that concentration of drunken behaviour on the streets..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
“The university must withdraw itssupport or the event needs to be contained within the university grounds.”
Ms Miller, who has emailed university principal Professor Louise Richardson with her complaint, said she saw students “rolling around and being sick” in doorways between the bottom of the Canongate and the town centre.
She added: “It seemed to be anarchy.”
A spokesman for St AndrewsUniversity stressed the events described by Ms Miller were “absolutely unacceptable” and the university would be taking theirinvestigation further.
The spokesman said: “We know from bitter experience that making a judgment on the first day of Raisin Weekend is the wrong thing to do.
“It could be several days before reports come in.We will be actively investigating Ms Miller’s report and any other reports that come in.”.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }