Scunthorpe licensees hail plastic pints

LICENSEES have reported a drop in night-time disorder, one year after a Scunthorpe Pubwatch scheme introduced plastic glasses to the town centre.

The number of glassings dropped immediately after the introduction of polycarbonate glasses with two throughout December 2008 and January 2009 compared with five in the same period the previous year.

New figures will be released next year, but one-year on from the launch of the scheme between Scunthorpe Pubwatch and Humberside Police, bar-owners have reported positive feedback.

Patience Roberts, owner of Zest Bar, and Pubwatch chairwoman, said: "We have certainly seen a decrease in the number of violent attacks within our bar and others who are active within the scheme.

"We've been very pleased with the take-up of the scheme, about 40 per cent of the bars in the town centre started using plastics initially and most of those are still ongoing."

New figures issued by Humberside Police have shown a slight drop in violent crime in the town centre, but the figure does not breakdown a figure for glassings.

Steve Turner, licensing manager for Humberside Police, said: "The numbers of glass related incidents have reduced, but there are still bottles being used as weapons, but fortunately there have been no serious injuries.

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