Licensee's fury over outdoor glass ban
A frustrated licensee has branded an outdoor glass ban at his bar as "completely unfair".
Rob Bates, licensee of the Rhu Bar, in Basingstoke, Hampshire, has been ordered by his council to serve drinks in plastic glasses to customers using his outdoor area.
Other pubs and bars in the vicinity have also fallen foul of the blanket ban.
But he is furious about the clampdown and claims it could ruin his business.
Bates told thepublican.com: "I've been here eight years and never had any problems. We are an over-25s bar that sells quality wine. It's completely unfair and is just treating people like kids."
"All the trouble is caused by other bars," Bates added. "If there's trouble on the streets, that's not our problem, it's the police's."
Although an original appeal against the ban was rejected by the council, Bates said he is appealing again with the help of a local councillor.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's licensing manager Linda Cannon said the Rhu Bar was on a street ranked fourth highest in the borough for violent crime, while the smoking ban had increased the number of people outside venues.
She added: "For this reason, the council, in discussion with the police, imposed a condition that plastic glasses should be used just for those drinking outside in bars in this area of the town as a precautionary safety measure, to stop the risk of glass being used in any fights or anti-social behaviour."
