What happens if you steal a pint glass from the pub?

Behaviours deemed outrageous in other countries are far more commonplace in UK towns and cities, in some cases even encouraged.

However, one particular bad habit that we have - and seldom mentioned - is stealing pint glasses on a night out.

You're probably guilty, I'm regrettably guilty, but someone you know is most definitely guilty.

Stealing pint glasses to add to your home collection is a quintessentially British pastime.

— No Context Brits (@NoContextBrits) July 30, 2022

Nisbets is recognised as the leading supplier of catering equipment in the UK, that supplies professional kitchen equipment to restaurants, hotels, bars and more.

Deciding to dig deeper into Britain's lust for stolen tableware, they published a case study that surveyed 1,000 UK residents.

According to Nisbets, on average, 37 million Brits have stolen glasses or tableware in their home.

Based on two glasses costing £5.00, this works out to a £186 million loss to the industry.

They found that the biggest culprits in the mix were the 18-24-year olds with a whopping 34% admitting to their wrongdoings.

Although you may think it is harmless, stealing glasses can hit your local pub hard (getty) (Image: Getty)

25-34-year-olds were next in line, at 31%.

Whilst 18% of those over 54 admitted they’re guilty of nicking the odd knife or bar glass.

Over the years, there have been several calls from British pubs to bring in the police over such matters.

What can happen if you get caught stealing pint glasses from a pub?

Well, the first is obvious, you could face a ban from the pub you stole from.

Any establishment has the right to refuse service to any patron they do not want on their premises.

A pub in Belgium once went as far as tagging their glasses with alarms on them, such was the endemic.

The British public if they had ever stolen from a pub, bar or restaurant (Getty) (Image: Getty)

In the UK, pubs have been threatening police action against people who take their property for some time. 

Although a prison sentence is, shall we say, unlikely, you are technically committing theft so could be lawfully held to account - meaning a fine or ban.

Responding to a spate of thefts in Lancashire back in 2018, James Newton, a nightlife improvement campaigner, said: “Taking a glass from a pub is a criminal offence. It’s as simple as that.

“Pubs could invest in strong stickers on glasses, linked to an alarm system, that would go off if they tried to leave with a glass.

“Or they could use plastic glasses, which are better for the planet and are safer. And no one would want to steal a plastic glass.”