BuzzFeed News went to Durham and found a deep disagreement over how to keep students safe following three recent deaths in the River Wear.

“The issue isn’t the river, it’s the people are getting so drunk they can’t look after themselves.”

Kate Shepherd, the owner of the Whisky River bar, is not alone in her opinion of what caused the recent deaths of three Durham University students in the River Wear.

Durham police and local politicians believe that a dangerous drinking culture now exists among the city's student population, and that something has to be done to control it. After another student came perilously close to losing his life after falling in the river last week, the authorities are beginning to take active steps to address the culture of "pre-loading" on drink before heading out, and the availability of cheap alcohol in the city.

Sergeant Mick Urwin of Durham Constabulary's alcohol harm reduction unit told BuzzFeed News: "We’re not babysitters, we just want them to tone it down. Enough is enough now."

The students, though, insist that there is no issue with drinking, and are adamant that local authorities are simply not doing enough to improve safety along Durham's river paths.

Richard James / BuzzFeed

When BuzzFeed News visited Durham it was clear that the deaths of Sope Peters, Luke Pearce, and Euan Coulthard still hang over the city.

Conversations we heard in pubs and the city centre showed clearly that the events of the last 14 months are still fresh in people's minds.

Some students told us stories of people being too scared to walk home alone after a night out.

That, however, does not appear to have dampened students' appetite for drinking. On Wednesday evening the Walkergate complex teemed with thousands of young people in fancy dress enjoying the biggest social evening of the week.

What was striking though was how quiet the city centre was for most of the night, before the college bars emptied and people raced to the Loveshack nightclub or the Bishops’ Mill bar.

According to those running Durham's bars and the police, students are now heading out later than ever before after loading up on cheap alcohol.

BBC Look North

What we're finding is people pre-load at home, so they'll drink an awful amount at home and then come out at, say, 11–12 o'clock, and probably not drink much whilst they're out.

They drink more when they're at home, and that's a massive thing we're seeing.

The "pre-loading" issue is one that crops up again and again.

Shepherd said that a lot of students are now just drinking water when they get to clubs.

Guy Stoker, the manager of The Bishops' Mill, agreed, and said he can have 1,000 students through his doors on a Wednesday night but only make a few thousand pounds on drinks.

He said there are times when he turns away over a hundred students in a single night for being too drunk before they even get in.

Gary Clark, the assistant manager of The Slug and Lettuce, said the drinking culture among the students had become "more extreme".

Richard James / BuzzFeed

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