Several hippies 'missing'
A small wooden rowing boat was launched on the River Parrett yesterday as part of the Langport Festival. The vessel is a 'Flatner', used on the flooded levels centuries ago, and was made by two Bristol-based award-winning hippies. It's part of a project, which, according to the information panel under the town clock where it's been stored in recent weeks "represents the centrality of both water and human ingenuity". Fascinating stuff, but just a boat then.
The launch went well with a round of applause as it slid into the water at Bow Bridge and well, that was it really. "Local people just can't take anymore" said the new leader of the town council Janet Seaton, "this Langport Festival is just too much for them, far far too manic."
She wasn't wrong: two hours later, as the boat rounded the river bend at Burrowbridge, it collided with a family from Burnham-on-Sea on their way to Langport on their lie lows to get fish and chips at Chubby's.
Several S.O.S messages were sent to nearby vessels but many ignored them or couldn't get there in time. The Flatner's distress rockets were even ignored.
"We thought they were just having a party" said a woman who saw them as she threw up in the river from the beer garden balcony at the King Alfred Inn. The boat went down at about a quarter to two this morning.
The Burrowbridge branch of the RNLI has been criticised for its response to the disaster. This Langport couple - above - said they waited several hours before a lifeboat picked them up and were only given jellied eels for breakfast.
Meanwhile, the owner of the doomed boat - The White [Star] Line Company - said it couldn't afford a financial payout to survivors but was prepared to offer them all free homes in nearby Moorland.
