YOBS cut sleeping passengers adrift in their boats in a drunken prank that put lives at risk.

Three boats were untied from their moorings on the River Ouse, next to the Museum Gardens in York, with one drifting under Lendal Bridge before its owners realised and were able to start their engines and return to safety.

One furious owner branded the culprits “mindless idiots”, while Tony Martin, of the North Riding branch of the Inland Waterways Association, warned that such an act could have “cost lives”.

The incident happened at about 3.30am on Monday.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service dispatched a fire boat to alert those on board that their vessels were drifting along the stretch of river.

Paul Newby, 66, from York, was one of those whose boats was untethered, but was saved from drifting away because the culprits also threw his anchor into the water.

“There was a big bang,” he said. “They had dropped the anchor off the front of the boat and it woke us up.

“They had untied us from the bank and I don’t know why they dropped the anchor.

“I would think they were on their way back from the pubs,” he said. “They were just mindless idiots.

“One of the boats ended up drifting under Lendal Bridge and he was getting closer to the York Boats.”

Mr Martin said the type of incident was “very worrying” especially when events such as a Festival of the Rivers featuring a flotilla of boats on the River Ouse as part of York 800 takes place later this year.

“It is just drunks who do this,” he said. “It is very dangerous – it could cost lives. It is people who have been drinking then think this sort of thing is a prank.”

Peter Hudson, of North Yorkshire Fire Service, also warned of the dangers. He said: “I can’t believe how irresponsible the people that did this are. Not only did they put the lives of those on board at risk they also deprived the community of valuable fire service resources whilst we attend an unnecessary incident.”