An outspoken businessman is calling for a regatta open-air booze ban after he claimed the huge celebrations left Dartmouth looking like a war scene from the film Gladiator.

Johnny Chick warned that Royal Avenue Gardens was turned into a mini rubbish dump as the regatta celebrations came to a violent end.

Police reported a series of fights and assaults as the event drew to a close on the Saturday night.

The town's business forum is planning to question regatta organisers over possible changes in future.

And that came as Mr Chick, who runs an angling business in the town's market square, said: 'Market Street at 3.30pm made the opening scenes of the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator a little timid and, by 11pm, Royal Avenue Gardens were similar to the closing scene of Cyril Endfield's Zulu – and some Walter Mitty was quoted as saying "that was the best regatta of all time".'

Mr Chick said regatta Thursday and Friday had been 'fabulous' but added: 'I walked through the town at 5.30am on Sunday and I can honestly say a rubbish dump is tidier and smells a lot better,

'Full credit to all the gang that came in and cleaned it up.

'The committee should all get together next year and visit Royal Avenue Gardens at that time and then tell me what a great event it is.'

Last year the former restaurant owner took a tongue in cheek sideswipe at the regatta after he condemned many of the visitors attracted to Dartmouth as 'cider-swilling, burger-munching, barbarian dross.'

This year he claimed the regatta had been 'grossly under policed' and added: 'A mobile prison truck should be on site to throw the drunken idiots in.'

He added: 'There is a solution to it and that is to stop all drinking in the streets after 6pm; stop all events after the fireworks.'

He said: 'It is a great shame that an event such as this has potential to promote Dartmouth across the world but I was embarrassed by what I witnessed.

'Time to think again, committee. But if you just keep ticking the boxes, then the regatta will cease to be.'

Meanwhile, Dartmouth Business Forum chairman Paul Reach said there had been a mixed reaction from local businesses to this year's regatta – particularly some of the food shops.

'For example, on Friday, the cheapjacks were packed out but when I walked to the market square I found just eight people in there,' he said. 'That is fairly symptomatic of what happens during regatta. Some businesses lose out, particularly on the catering side.'

He said the forum was looking at carrying out a business survey to 'help the regatta committee understand the business forum's point of view'.

He added: 'Some businesses suffer during regatta and some flourish.

'We would like to get a more general view of the real impact.'

And he said the forum would like some input into the debate over next year's regatta.

'We need to look at it and the regatta committee needs to be more open to input on what needs to change to make it a better event, particularly for the benefit of the town.'

Regatta chairman Hilary Bastone said the committee makes arrangements for the town to be cleaned up after the event.

'By 10am the next morning, on Sunday, everything was back to normal. The council workmen deserve a large amount of praise for that,' he said.

As for the boozing worries, he said: 'That is not arranged by the regatta committee. As a regatta committee, we do not serve drinks. That is not a matter for the regatta committee, it is a law and order issue.'

And he added: 'I have to say the great majority of people I have spoken to have said what a great regatta and how enjoyable it was.'