New regulations are being considered to crack down on drinking in public

Greater enforcement powers for Gardai are among the measures being examined

A ban on the sale of all alcohol, at a particular time of day, is one measure being looked at by the Government.

It's in a bid to stop people gathering on streets and the risk associated with Covid.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar says the issue needs to be addressed:

"There's been a lot less of it in the last couple of weeks, I have to say you know Christmas Eve, Stephen's Day wasn't the problem that we thought it might be New Year's Eve wasn't either - but certainly a few weeks ago it was a problem. We're working on new public health regulations that will strengthen the law in this regard around drinking alcohol in public streets and that will give the Gardai more powers of enforcement"