Stay out of Holylands on St Patrick's Day, says Bradshaw

The Holylands area, which is home to a large student population, has seen St Patrick’s day celebrations spiral out of control in recent years.

South Belfast MLA Paula Bradshaw has appealed to people to stay away this year.

“The needs of the settled community of the Holylands must take precedence over those people who believe the Holylands to be the desirable destination for their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations,” she said.

“This year, there needs to be a zero tolerance approach to the perennial problems with criminal damage, on-street drinking, excessive noise and rude and aggressive behaviour from congregated youths in the Holylands, and the only way for this to happen is for all stakeholders to pro-actively monitor activity and deal with any negative behaviour, and for those who have no business being in the area to stay away.”