A floating hotel found itself in hot water during an outing yesterday, writes Roseena Parveen.

The Merganzer II, a river boat hotel which tours Oxford each summer, was grounded after being swept by strong currents into Abingdon Bridge at 11am.

Afternoon pub-goers at The Mill House pub, which has a garden overlooking the river, watched aghast as the boat's crew of three frantically shouted orders at one another in a bid to free the boat. But the drama worsened when the boat's cockpit suddenly billowed with smoke. Boat owner Robin Purdue said: "We didn't call for help because we were too busy shouting orders at each other. But no-one could have helped - they couldn't get on to the boat and I couldn't get off.

"Mud from the river clogged up the boat's cooling system. We were so busy we did not notice. The next thing we knew, there was steam and black smoke everywhere."

Mr Purdue, from Hertfordshire, was on his way to Oxford to pick up an American customer.

He said: "We always call in at Abingdon because of the tourist value - it's a beautiful town. We came in last night, but this morning the river was running so fast we were in danger of hitting nearby boats. We tried to turn but the boat was swept into the bridge. "The water there is extremely shallow and we were stuck in the middle arch of the bridge all morning.

He jokingly added: "I ran into a tree last year. I'm beginning to think perhaps I'm not a very good skipper."

Chris Beardsmore, landlord at The Mill House, said: "Even the little river boats don't get under that bridge. The water is so shallow there everyone gets grounded.

"Perhaps we should get out some ice-cream and charge people for the river entertainment?"

Story date: Saturday 01 May

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