DRUNKEN celebrations following Oxford University's boat race victory landed two students in trouble with the police this week.

Barney Williams, 29, the Oxford University Boat Club president, was one of the oarsmen who beat Cambridge in the 152nd Boat Race on Sunday.

But the Dark Blue man's celebrations in the early hours of Wednesday landed him with a night in the cells and an £80 fine for criminal damage.

Canadian Olympic silver medallist Mr Williams, a married father of one, was caught on CCTV acting drunkenly in the High Street, with two friends who have not been named. One of them was spotted using a bin as a toilet, before Mr Williams was seen vandalising a bicycle and throwing things into the road.

Mr Williams and the man who used the bin were arrested and taken into the police cells at St Aldate's at 4am.

Mr Williams said: "It was a little bit of an exuberant celebration after the race. A few of us went out and ended up in Thirst, where the owners are supporters of the team, and we had a great time there.

"We had a little too much to drink, weren't in any condition to get ourselves home and thankfully the wonderful police of Oxford made sure we ended up in a safer place than the side of the road.

"I think there is a part of me that realises that the police could have been doing better things than dealing with me.

"I have a wonderful family in Oxford as well as a young boy and I am very thankful that we have the police here to protect us. My actions took away from their efforts to provide protection and I wish it had not happened.

"The race itself was a fantastic event and I feel I had legitimate grounds for celebrations.

"I am very much respectful of the police and the way they conduct themselves with such patience.

"It was an incident which could have easily become much more problematic and I'm very glad it didn't end up being any worse than it did."

Mr Williams was among the Oxford crew that beat Cambridge by five lengths in Sunday's race.

The Jesus College law student who lives in Thelwall House student accommodation in East Oxford was the only returning oarsman from last year's Oxford triumph.