Pubs not to blame for weekend street drinking, say Vintners

Revellers on South William Street, Dublin, over the weekend. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

The majority of alcohol consumed on the streets over the weekend came from off-licences and not pubs, the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) has said, adding that publicans are concerned over the lack of public conveniences as they prepare to reopen for outdoor trade next week.

VFI chief executive Padraig Cribben said the scenes of large crowds of people drinking on the streets over the weekend did not come as a surprise: “We don’t condone what happened but it was very predictable. People have been cooped up and some people don’t have front or back gardens so where do they go?”