A large group of women each "dressed as a penis" in a Blackpool car park was among a string of stag and hen incidents which sparked police callouts.
During last year's coronavirus lockdown, officers in Lancashire responded to reports around a dozen vehicles, packed with hens, were parked up in the seaside resort, and that as many as 30 women were illegally mingling in a car park whilst all in the crude fancy dress.
Police in the county also had to deal with a punter who wet themselves and were called out after a limo carrying a group of 10-15 women who “appeared to be having a hen do” jumped out and began urinating in public in Accrington.
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Details of the incidents have been released as part of analysis by Last Night of Freedom, a firm who have organised over 25,000 stag and hen parties since their formation in 1999, reports Wales Online.
Their probe has shed light on some of the cheeky antics that have caught the eyes of the law during pre-wedding booze-ups in the UK. They include everything from naked revellers to one stag suspected of setting off a firework inside a bar while dressed as Big Bird from Sesame Street.
Despite Blackpool's reputation as a stag and hen mecca, figures released by Lancashire Police suggests that, on average, police dealt with one stag or hen party incident every fortnight since the start of 2021. Analysis of their logs indicates that in many instances, the root cause of problems faced on a weekend away was over-indulgence.
In Cheshire, one of the most popular British destinations for hens, police recorded six incidents in the past 20 months. Of those, the only suspected troublemakers on a stag weekend were a group of four blokes suspected of “taking drugs in a toilet cubicle”.
The other five incidents included a woman on a hen weekend who had her phone stolen, and a large coach load of hens that broke down on the M6.
And Matt Mavir, who founded the Gateshead-based Last Night of Freedom, says he believes the data dispels common misconceptions and is proof of such events being 'unfairly' stigmatised.
“The vast majority of incidents being recorded by police aren’t stags and hens being a nuisance, but of pocket dials or revellers getting lost in a strange town or city,” said Matt.
“We’ve always believed stags and hens are unfairly labelled a nuisance when the reality is they are just a bunch of normal people having fun with their friends, while celebrating a major moment in their mate’s life.
“Most people go on a stag or hen party at least once during the life, and these figures are proof they are almost just normal people, out having a good time.
"The last thing most of them want is any trouble, and if anything, it shows that stags and hens can be better heaved than some of the locals.”
In Weymouth, one stag was suspected of setting off a firework inside a bar. He was told to “turn out his pockets” although there was one major problem – he was dressed as Big Bird from Sesame Street
In York – where the city’s Labour MP Racheal Maskell has accused stags and hens of causing “devastation” – police figures suggest there have been just seven incidents in the past 20 months. That’s despite the city recently being named as one of Europe’s biggest hen party hotspots – with more flocking there than Barcelona. While some forces didn’t disclose the data, some recorded barely any incidents.
On Teesside, the most eye-catching incident involved a stag who was actually the victim of a violent mob beating, sparked after falling over while trying to whip-up a sing-a-long during karaoke in a Stockton pub. In Cumbria, police recorded six incidents – including a pair of mischief makers caught wondering the streets without any pants – while Gwent Police didn’t disclose any.
“The reality is nothing disclosed by any police force paints stags and hens as boisterous or someone you wouldn’t want to do business with,” added Matt. “It shows behaviour that isn’t out-of-sync with groups of locals enjoying a Saturday night out in any town or city in Britain.
“Stags and hens come from all walks of life and rather than blindly being labelled troublemakers; they should be seen as economic assets to British towns and cities. The overwhelming majority of stags and hens simply want to have a few drinks, a few laughs and make memories with friends.”
But the most common reason for dialling 999 wasn’t crime. Instead, it was members of the group who had simply escaped from the pack – and got lost. According to Matt, who launched the firm from his Newcastle student house in the 90s before turning it into a multi-million-pound business, that is also one of the biggest problems faced by the 500,000 Brits who have used Last Night of Freedom over the years.
“When you have a drink, in a strange city, you can easily lose your bearings and it can quickly get very scary,” he added. “But that’s the benefit of using a company to book the trip with, rather than doing it yourself. It may seem easy to book a few flights and a hotel, but the problems often start when you arrive.
“You can find yourself having to manage and organise a group of people who are almost permanently half-cut for three days. That’s stressful and when something goes wrong, it can ruin the weekend so if you book with a company like ours, you have that professional support either over the phone, or in some places, on the ground from experts who have seen this before and know exactly what to do."
The probe comes in what has been the busiest year ever for the stag and hen industry. Bookings exploded as Covid restrictions ended, with Matt admitting the firm has effectively had “three years of business in one” as groups rushed to get away.
Yet while there’s been a British booking boom, trips to traditional Eastern European hotspots like Krakow have plummeted – with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cited as a key reason. Polish Government officials admit trips to the country are down by around 40 per cent, while Last Night of Freedom is donating a share of profits made from bookings to the bloc to charities dealing with the war.
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