An Irish restaurant has been forced to apologise after a promotion for their lunch deal featured a 'joke' about domestic violence.

The promotion was drawn on a chalkboard outside Belfast restaurant Ribs and Bibs. It read: "£5 til 5! Ya can beat the wife, but ya can't beat a 5 pound lunch!" https://twitter.com/purelypoetry/status/912765959986909185 Following the sign's placement, many people took to social media to express their offence at the promotion. Users shared images of the sign on Twitter and took to Ribs and Bibs' Facebook page to complain. As of Sept 27, the restaurant's Facebook page is currently unavailable. https://twitter.com/flicknightshade/status/912764826556002307 Speaking to Belfast Live, a spokesperson for Ribs and Bibs said that the restaurant do not condone abuse "on men or women." They also said the sign was written by a new member of staff.

"We do not condone abuse on men or women and the member of staff has only been working with us a couple of weeks and was on shift today by himself. We are dealing with it and would like to apologise for any offence caused and it will be dealt with by the management team."

According to Women's Aid, one in five women in Ireland who have been in a relationship have been abused by a current or former partner. In 2016 alone, 16,946 cases of domestic violence against women were disclosed to Women's Aid, with over 3,500 of those being physical abuse. If you have been affected by domestic abuse you can contact Women's Aid's 24-hour helpline on 1800 341 900. Feature image via Twitter.