Businesses in Tuam are up in arms over the fact that a green area close to the town centre is occupied daily by a group of open-air drinkers.

The drinkers have gone on set up home in the Rory O’Connor Park with the recent erection of a couple of tents where they sleep at night.

The green area is located between Shop Street and Chapel Lane, adjacent to a tributary of the River Clare. It has three benches and is now badly littered with bottles, cans and plastic takeaway wrappers.

However, a local Garda chief has told the Connacht Tribune that there are no bye-laws in Tuam that prevents drinking in a public place.

Inspector Aidrian Queeney said that the matter had to be addressed by Galway County Council, otherwise the problem will continue indefinitely.

At one stage, students from an all-girls secondary school would use the tiny park for their lunchtime breaks but with the presence of a group of males drinking in public, they feel intimidated and no longer frequent the area.

The ownership of this small park, which is also adjacent to the old mill wheel, remains vague but it is understood that there is a committee in place, that includes a local public representative, who are supposed to look after it.

Inspector Queeney said that they only have the power of arrest if someone is drunk and abusive towards members of the public – but there has been no evidence of this.

If this was the case, they could be arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act, but he pointed out that the individuals are well behaved – although he acknowledge that it didn’t do anything for the optics of the town.

“Our hands are tied. It’s seemingly not a public place so it is like someone drinking in their own front garden. If I was a business in the area, I too would be annoyed at what is taking place,” he said.

“There have been occasions when we have moved them on and they were extremely cooperative only for them to return to the benches again a short time later with more drink,” explained Inspector Queeney.

Members of the business community on Shop Street have been complaining that it does not enhance the image of the town when there are a number of individuals congregating in the open air for drinking sessions.

But the erection of the tents has been the final straw as far as the businesses are concerned and they have made contact with both the Gardai and Galway County Council in relation to the matter.

“It is unsightly and a blight on the town,” one business owner told this newspaper. “It should not be allowed to happen and surely the identity of the owners can be established. Someone has to own it in order to appoint a committee to look after it.”

Pictured: Some of the tents now set up in Rory O’Connor Park.