THE start of the Men’s Boat Race was delayed after debris was spotted in the Thames.
The iconic race between Oxford and Cambridge was set to start 14:21 this afternoon.
GettyThe Men’s Boat Race was delayed due to debris in the water[/caption]
BBCA plank of wood caused the lengthy delay[/caption]
But it was delayed by ten minutes due to a plank of wood being reportedly spotted in the water.
Both teams were forced to wait on the start line as a boat was sent to clear the route.
Cambridge went on to seal victory comfortably with over 16 seconds separating the two bitter rivals.
The delayed start comes after Boat Race chiefs admitted “concern” around the water safety.
Environmental charity River Action claimed results from testing showed high levels of E. coli bacteria that were three times above the threshold for “poor” bathing waters.
Oxford rowers slammed sewage levels after losing last year and three members of the team fell ill afterwards.
Campaigners have urged stars not to jump into the water in celebration after winning.
The debris incident happened after the beginning of the Women’s Race race also did not go smoothly.
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Oxford veered into Cambridge just a minute into the action and it had to be stopped by former Olympic champion and umpire Sir Matthew Pinsent.
He even considered disqualifying the Oxford team before deciding on a restart with Cambridge given a third of a length advantage.
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