TYBEE ISLAND — The city council on Tybee Island has repealed a ban on drinking alcohol on the beach, though they say the ban was rarely enforced.

The Savannah Morning News reports (http://bit.ly/U6OKQL) that Tybee Island's council last week repealed the ban with a 4-2 vote.

An amended ordinance also officially legalizes drinking on public streets, parking lots and sidewalks, which has also been historically permitted. City Manager Diane Schleicher says the beverage has to be in a plastic cup.

The Morning News reports that as long as the beverage was not in a glass container and drinkers did not cause problems, beachgoers have been drinking beers and cocktails by the oceanfront for decades because the city was not enforcing a law banning the practice, which had been on the books since 1983.