Plastic fantastic for drinkers

CAMPAIGNERS today said they were making good strides in their bid to make drinking safer in Ipswich town centre.

Emergency services and Ipswich Borough Council have been working closely with pub and club managers to encourage the use of plastic drinking vessels instead of glass.

Liquid and Envy nightclub recently became the first venue in the Ipswich to be completely glass-free after converting to polyethylene teraphthalate (PET).

And the campaign has increased momentum with more and more premises converting to varying degrees of polycarbonate use throughout the year.

Inspector Becky Kidd-Stanton, of Ipswich police, said: “This demonstrates a responsible approach to alcohol sales and assists to reduce crime and disorder in our area.

“If it is possible to prevent one person becoming a victim, this initiative will be worthwhile. It should be recognised that significant progress has also been made at other venues in the town centre with Mojo's and Club Fire now using only polycarbonate drinking vessels. Other venues are also actively working towards the transition.”

There have been 28 glass-related incidents in Ipswich town centre since January. Sixteen of these involved bottles, ten involved glasses and two were either a bottle or a glass.

Doctor David Lewis, from A&E at Ipswich Hospital, said of the campaign: “This is an extremely positive move in the right direction. I'm delighted that so much progress has been made so quickly.

“With the festive season rapidly approaching I'm sure this initiative will significantly reduce the number of glass injuries that we see in the emergency department.

“These injuries can be devastating for all involved and often consume large amounts of healthcare resource.”

Andy Gotts, general manager at Liquid and Envy, added: “We continue to introduce new measures that will further improve the safety of our customers. Broken glass can present an issue, especially for women with open toe shoes.”