GARDAI have revealed that as many as 80 pubs across the country have been found to be in breach of coronavirus-related guidelines.
It's understood that these pubs have been selling alcohol without also serving customers with food.
Current rules dictate that pubs could only open if they could offer customers a 'substantial meal' worth €9 or more.
The guideline is part of the drive to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19, and preventing pubs from packing their bars with drinkers likely to flout social distancing rules.
While gardai say that the vast majority of pubs are complying with the rules, they confirmed that they found 20 premises breaching the rules last week alone, bringing the total up to 80 since pubs were allowed to reopen at the end of June.
They say that most guilty pubs have shown no evidence that food is being served or consumed, and many show no evidence of receipts to prove that food had been sold.
Operation Navigation - which monitors the rules - began on July 3.
"An Garda Siochana is delighted to see a continued high level of compliance by licensed premises to the Public Health Regulations. However there are still a minority of licensed premises that are failing to adhere to the regulations," said Deputy Commissioner of Policing and Security John Twomey.
"In such circumstances Gardai will continue its graduated policing response based on its tradition of policing by consent and I would appeal to publicans to comply in all circumstances to help stop the spread of Covid-19."
