BBPA pledges to fight police calls for blanket bans on glasses in pubs

Moves by police forces to pressurise pub operators into replacing glass with polycarbonate vessels are "growing like a bushfire" around the country, a leading trade body has claimed.

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has now made the issue of stopping a blanket ban on glasses one of its main priorities. JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson has claimed requests from police forces are coming in "thick and fast".

The BBPA is writing to a number of police forces around the country to stress that polycarbonate glasses should not be introduced on a blanket basis. It is also involved in talks with the Association of Chief Police Officers stressing the trade's opposition to a blanket ban on glass in pubs. The trade body has previously written to all MPs who signed an early day motion calling for the introduction of polycarbonate glasses, stressing the trade's opposition to the move.

Director of communications Mark Hastings said: "Polycarbonate glasses are a down-market, low-grade experience for customers.

"The customers you will tend to attract (with plastic glasses) are the ones who don't care about quality. The issue is growing like a bushfire. This is a classic case of police forces talking to other police forces."

Hastings insisted that the introduction of polycarbonate glasses should only be the result of an operator deciding a risk assessment showed it was needed for public safety reasons.

Thames Valley Police licensing co-ordinator Inspec-

tor John Fox says the force does not have a blanket ban policy, but big town-centre bars are being encouraged to take on plastic.

l No blanket ban - p4

A Richard Johnson, an executive member of the association, believes it is right to target high profile vertical drinking premises. But he says extending the use of plastic to more run-of-the-mill pubs may be a step too far. "I think we have to have a debate before we go any further on this," he said. "The use of plastic glasses circuit pubs and bars where there is a potential for disorder would, in my view, cut down the number of assaults and injuries," he added. The licensing co-ordinator for Thames Valley Police Inspector John Fox says there is no blanket policy within the force to promote the use of polycarbonate glasses on licensed premises. "We are taking a voluntary line on this and our policy is for local forces on the ground to encourage the bigger town centre bars to take on plastic," he said.

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