AFTER many decades spent stealing traffic cones on nights out, students have worked their way up to bathtubs.
Freshers at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University found a bath after clubbing and bribed a taxi driver with £50 to let them bring it home.
Their flatmate, 19-year-old Ally Shepherd, had no idea of their shenanigans until he went into the kitchen the next morning to cook, and found the tub in front of the oven.
After taking pictures with the novelty item, the students disposed of the bath for fears that cleaners would find it.
However, they have already acquired an impressive selection of objects from drunken escapades, including a newspaper stand, six ‘wet floor’ signs and a even a signpost.
Ally said: “They found the bath in one of the construction sites after a night out and decided it would be a good idea to bring it home.
“I was in my room and heard a lot of clattering, but assumed they had just got a traffic cone or something like that.
“It was definitely a bit of a shock the next morning when I walked into the kitchen and found a huge bathtub in my way – they somehow managed to fit it into a taxi and had to pay the driver an extra £50.
“We had it for a good few days but decided we had better get rid of it in case the cleaners came in. They’ve tried to go back and get it since but it’s now disappeared.”
He added that his flat, located in Heriot-Watt’s George Burnett halls of residence, was well-known for acquiring items on nights out.
“We’ve got plenty of signs, a newspaper stand, and we also ripped up a signpost once and brought it home,” he said.
“It’s in our cupboard at the minute, and there’s just a big hole where it used to be.”
The seemingly innocuous act of stealing items such as traffic cones can come with a large penalty – up to £1,000 if caught.
It is usually advised that you ask a construction site manager for permission before removing dumped items.
The University declined to comment on the incident.