Bars urge people to stop common drinking habit after losing £130 million a year

One drunk habit of people in the UK has become a costly problem for the pub industry, and now they’ve asked drinkers to stop it.

There are many thinks people do wrong when they have a little too much to drink.

Like stealing traffic cones – which is a real phenomenon, by the way.

But unlike that, a different type of theft is costing businesses around £133 million a year, according to Good Morning Britain (GMB).

The ITV show revealed that a survey conducted by Simply Business reported 35 per cent of British pub-goers had admitted to stealing a pint glass within the last year.

A separate poll carried out by LADBible also found out that 67 per cent of those polled think it is acceptable to steal glasses, while 33 per cent said 'no.

Jaega Wise, a brewer and broadcaster, said when interviewed and asked if it’s a ‘victimless crime: "Of course it's not a victimless crime. It costs breweries, and it costs pubs a lot of money.

"At the end of the day, anything that costs pubs and breweries more money, eventually will end up in the price of our pints."

While one woman told the show that you’re not ‘British’ if you haven’t pinched a glass from a pub, while others blamed the cost of pints ‘in London’ as reasons for wanted to be reimbursed, it’s actually illegal to do so.

In fact, taking a glass from a pub without permission is stolen under the Theft Act 1968.

According to the UK Government, ‘a person guilty of theft shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years’, so it’s not really worth the trouble to pinch a pint glass.

However, some people don’t agree.

Under a clip of the report posted to GMB’s X account, a viewer claimed: “Controversial but when you purchase the drink at the bar your paying for the item given to you and at no point do bar staff say, or there is signage of ‘pls return the glass’.. so is it stealing to keep it? Its part of the transaction.”

As it turns out, they aren’t the only one to think that.

Then, others were stunned that stealing a glass is even a common occurrence, as one person scathed: “I couldn't, too many hands and mouths have touched the same glass. Why would anyone? It is theft. It's for one to enjoy it in situ.”

Do you steal glasses?