How odd! Complete contrast to the friendly folk at the Ladybower Inn who let me fill my drink bladder, even though I’d bought nowt and cheekily just dropped in and asked. Was a hot day mind you.

North / South divide? Northern / Southern hospitality divide?

Steps back to admire the beautiful can of worms freshly opened.

I believe it’s still a legal requirement in Scotland that a publican must supply free drinking water if requested.

Yep, as above, it’s not a regional thing. Just a dick v non-dick thing.

TBF it is Suffolk, it’s a very special part of the UK…

I believe it’s still a legal requirement in Scotland that a publican must supply free drinking water if requested.

I don’t give a shit what’s legal or not, come into my pub looking to refill your water bottles and I (or any other member of staff) will happily do so.
You won’t even need to buy a pint, why would you?

You may have to put up with me berating your choice of bicycle, but you’ll get watered!

If the police are correct, that staff can demand that someone leaves if they request tap water, then the requirement to provide tap water isn’t really a thing.

However, it does look as if the whole obnoxious blow-up could have been avoided if the Paragon lot had just said “fine, 4 pints of lemonade, plenty of ice then” and got on with their day.Some places make cyclists very welcome, some don’t. You’re not going to change that by kicking off in the latter, and this really didn’t need to involve the police.

The pub has a page on Facebook.

Just sayin’ like…..

Never had any problems getting water in a pub since I headed south.

But I have seen a bunch of over-entitled middle aged roadies going off on one at a teenage waitress who’d washed the gel out of their bottles when they had, en masse, asked her to fill them up in a busy cafe.

North/south thing? Nah, it’s a roadie thing.

Fatsimon. Please, that sort of behaviour is from Norfolk. Suffolk is more cosmopolitan and prefers Massey Ferguson for tractors.

Let’s be blunt, any landlord can be a dick anywhere in the country. This one was a dick. He probably got annoyed because, after telling people that he would not do something, he saw them doing the same thing.

Its not a north south divide thing, why must these events always be meta-ised. Its just a **** running a pub.
Hopefully the licensing comittee will take a dim view of this.

Dragging the poor kitchen staff into it after presumably having a row with the manager in the bar area isn’t nice.

And once you’ve pointed out politely that they are in breach of their legal obligations, and been told to get off the premises, I can’t see why you’d need to ring the police (unless of course you’re intent on continuing a stand-up row and not leaving when asked).

Just shrug, get water elsewhere and report to local licensing body.

Licensing laws or not, what an epic twit.

If you’re in the hospitality industry it’s probably best to keep your prejudices to yourself or you might find it’s not good for business (particularly in the days when you can be publically flamed via your convenient facebook page).

Oh and just to buck the North/South lazy generalisation one of only a couple of times I’ve been on the receiving end of this type of nonsense was in the Woodbine Cafe in Hope.

It’s in Cambs, on the Ouse.

If it’s raining and you haven’t brought a lock, I’ll even lock your bikes up in the compound out back whilst you dry off inside, as long as you ask nicely.

Or buy me a half.

Actions speak louder than words and all that. 😀

Or buy me a half.

Verbal abuse and a pint?

Anyway, back on topic.

I’ve knocked on the door of a farm to ask for a refill before. The woman who answered told me that the water was warm because their pipes are close to the surface but 3km up the mountain there was a spring that would be ice cold. Nice lady and as she happened to mention she made cheese, I went back the following day on the way home and bought some. I’ve also had fill-ups in pubs, restaurants, cafes, service stations (I had no cash to buy a bottle of water) and one nice woman in a bakery gave me a can of coke when I ran out of money buying food from her.

People are mostly nice. Mostly is the key word.

Dear god! Why can’t they fill their own water bottles up from the taps in the bogs? Have they lost the use of their arms or something?

And calling the police? Seriously? Sweet Jesus!! I’d say the Roadie bedwetters need to get a sense of bloody perspective! They thoroughly deserved being told to **** off! 😆

Gatorade Team Sky Green Bottle = most interesting bit of the story.

What a twonk 😀

I’d got myself ratarsed in the centre of Manchester and then decided to do a 30 mile road ride home. The only place that was open was a chippy in Urmston.

The lass behind the counter thought it was hilarious that i’d competently hopped off my bike then could barely stand up while she topped off my water bottle then pedaled off again. 19.6mph on the way home, in the dark

Err because many establishments providing refreshments are available on the way, the majority of which won’t throw a hissyfit at paying customers asking for some water?