Fancy dress banned at London Sevens rugby after locals complain

Killjoy rugby chiefs have banned costumes from the London Rugby Sevens tournament because of complaints from local residents.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) have scrapped the fancy dress theme in an attempt to make the two-day event more family friendly.

What’s more, crowds will be dramatically reduced from 113,000 fans to just 35,000 a day at Rugby Sevens, which is held at Twickenham stadium in May.

But residents will be offered 5,000 cut-price tickets at “exclusive” prices.

In addition, bar times will be also limited to keep fans more sober at the tournament.

And police will also have the power to control drinking outside the stadium.

The extraordinary decision to cut crowds and ban fancy dress was made by the RGU, Richmond Council and the Metropolitan Police after complaints from people who live close to the stadium.

In a letter to local residents, the RFU said: “At the RFU we take our relationship with the local community very seriously.

“We listened to all the feedback and believe this is the right direction for next year’s tournament. We will promote the event as a family friendly rugby event across both days.”

An RFU spokesman said: “We are responding to the concerns of the local community to which we have a responsibility. It was felt there was need to make the London Sevens more about rugby than an excuse to party.”

Richmond councillor Pamela Fleming said: “A new approach is being put in place that will ensure the emphasis of next year’s London Sevens is about rugby and family entertainment.”

Tania Mathias, the MP for Twickenham, had accused the RFU of letting down the community because of the number of drunken revellers.