The vast majority of owners and managers have welcomed the law with open arms, saying that Paceville is a lot cleaner and the severity of fights has also been reduced.

The by-law stipulates that businesses must display a warning sign at the entrance/exit stating that if a person leaves a premises with a glass bottle or glass, they will be liable to a fine.

In addition, the owner him or herself will also be liable to a fine if alcohol is served in bottles and nothing is done to prevent people from leaving the premises with the container. One owner said: “What annoys me is that most, if not all, the owners and managers here fully agree and try to implement this law. But is it fair to get fined if one slips through the net?”

He also pointed out that if a punter decided to rip the sign off the door, the establishment owner would be fined. “And the annoying thing is that we are in full agreement with the by-law.”

But the biggest bone of contention seems to be that although the by-law is in force, there are two loopholes. “We cannot serve people in glass containers and allow them to leave. Perhaps the reason for the law was to make the place cleaner, to reduce the number of injuries caused by glass and to reduce the number of people drinking in the streets,” he said.

He continued: “One annoying factor is that some establishments are selling drinks in plastic cups, which is already a way of skirting round the law.”

But what is worse, say the night-spot owners, is that some establishments are now putting tables out onto public pavements where people can sit with their drinks. One man said: “Irrespective of whether these places have a permit to put tables out or not, how come people are allowed to sit at them and drink from glass bottles and cups?” Their claims have been checked out by The Malta Independent and both at weekends and during the week, customers have been seen, seated at tables outside establishments drinking out of both glasses and glass bottles.

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