REVELLERS will be given plastic glasses in a bid to cut the number of injuries caused by glass attacks over Christmas and New Year.
Move than 5,000 polycarbonate glasses are being distributed to nightspots throughout the region.
Police are also urging all pubs and clubs to consider replacing their glassware in the hope of reducing the number of injuries caused by glass incidents.
The move comes a week after the NHS said one glass attack costs them £184,000 to deal with and involves around 40 members of staff.
Richard Woodhead, licensing officer and Huddersfield Pubwatch Co-ordinator, said: “We are really trying to promote safer drinking in the area.
“We hope there are no festive incidents to deal with but we have to think ahead and try to prevent them happening in the first instance.
“Some venues are more at risk than others, such as those in the town centre with open-air drinking. Glass could be used as a weapon and we really don’t want to see that.
“We often suggest to licensees to adopt the idea and they are very open to it.”
The plastic glasses look and feel like a real glass, but they are virtually unbreakable and much safer.
PC Mark Warburton said: “The use of polycarbonate is very much a preventative measure to reduce injury caused by glass.
“We are fully committed to working together with the licensed trade to develop polycarbonate vessels on a risk assessment basis in venues in order to reduce the opportunity for alcohol-related crime and disorder.”
West Yorkshire Police’s violent crime reduction team are working with Consumer Direct to identify the places deemed at risk.
Graham Hebblethwaite, chief officer at West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, added: “I am fully supportive of this initiative, working in partnership with our community and local licensed premises is vital if this makes our community a safer place to live.”
