A Castlebar native who runs a pub in London has spoken out about the horror of the riots which took place outside his pub in Ealing.
The violence on the streets forced Bill Joyce (63 ) to lock the doors and keep his customers inside while the mayhem ensued outside.
Mr Joyce, who hails from Castlebar, has lived in London since 1976 and has owned The Shanakee pub on Ealing Broadway since the 1980s.
He has never had any serious trouble until he witnessed the mayhem erupting outside his pub on Monday night.
“I've been here since 1988 and I've never seen anything like it,” he said this week.
“We looked out the window and they were running around on the street outside, totally out of control.
“There were small groups of about six or seven and then a hundred came along smashing windows and setting fires.”
Fortunately Mr Joyce and his largely Irish ex-patriot clientele managed to stay out of the firing line after he barricaded the door shut and locked his customers inside.
“I never do lock-ins but this was necessary,” he said.
“It was pretty scary but I'm pretty cool and I didn't let it bother me.”
The pub is situated across the road from Ealing Broadway Station.
