EastEnders' Sid Owen 'sinks his £30k boat'
It has been claimed that EastEnders alum Sid Owen was drunk when he crashed his £30,000 second-hand boat into an "overhanging tree", which has left his "VIP tours" business venture scuppered.
EastEnders legend Sid Owen's business venture has reportedly been scuppered as his boat sank after he crashed it into an "overhanging tree".
It is claimed water poured into the lower deck and engines of the pre-owned 33ft vessel - Rolling on the River - days after the Ricky Butcher star and his friend splashed out £30,000 on it so that the boat could be rented out for "VIP tours", hosted by Sid.
The soap legend was forced to abandon the watercraft - worth £115,000 new - which has a massive hole in the hull, making it "a total write-off", The Sun reported.
One witness on a nearby marina in West London claimed that Sid, 54, was drunk whilst out on the River Thames, and he "didn’t stick around" to deal with his semi-submerged boat.
The onlooker told the publication: "The boat hit something, it looked like an overhanging tree, and there was an almighty banging noise.
"Next thing, the boat has run aground completely close to the riverbank, and someone was climbing out - I couldn’t believe it when I realised who it was.
"He’s very recognisable, and I just knew him straight away as Ricky from EastEnders. It looked as though he’d had a few beers - and he didn’t stick around to deal with it. He was quickly on his way!"
It is thought that Sid and his pal will have to fork out a big chunk of cash to remove the vessel from the water before the Environment Agency hands them potential hefty fines.
Sid joined EastEnders in 1998 as Ricky Butcher, who married Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) in April 1997.
The iconic couple divorced in 1999 after Bianca had an affair with Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbass).
However, Bianca and Ricky remarried in February 2010 as part of the BBC soap's 25th anniversary celebrations.
But the pair split for good on New Year's Day 2012 after she discovered that Ricky had a one-night stand with Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton).
Sid quit EastEnders that year, but he returned in 2022 and 2023 for guest stints.
