PUBS in Dorchester are being urged to give glass the elbow and switch to plastic as part of a police campaign.

Publicans have pledged their support for plastic glasses after seeing a sample of a plastic pint pot taken along to a Pubwatch meeting by Dorchester Police Inspector Les Fry.

Insp Fry asked them to make the switch to increase safety for drinkers and staff and said that the investment would save them money.

He said: "Plastic glasses are more expensive than an ordinary glass but they are unbreakable and last a lot longer."

"One assault with a glass is one too many it would cause serious injuries."

He added: "Glass that's broken accidentally also puts customers at risk and is a hazard for bar staff when they cleared it up."

Pub landlords backed the idea but also warned that they would have to persuade breweries to change marketing tactics and put their money in plastic.

Fred Wild, tenant at the Bull's Head Inn in Fordington, said: "Breweries have put a lot of money into having branded glasses over the past five years or so.

"It's a marketing thing. They see it as good practice to put the right drink into the right glass and it advertises the brand.

"Plastic glasses are a good idea from a safety point of view. They're better, not just because of violence but because of accidents too."

Mr Wild said there had been very few incidents in west Dorset of people being attacked with broken glass and they tended to involve bottles rather than glasses.

"Customers don't really like plastic glasses, but I think it's going to come anyway."

Insp Fry told publicans that the police would persevere to get rid of glass.

He said: "We could take it up with the breweries and put some pressure on them to have branded plastic glasses.

"It's a very good initiative but it's early days and I want to see how it goes.

"It's a way of working with licensed premises and with the community to make sure we don't have any problems in the town with people being injured with glass."

He demonstrated the strength of the plastic pint glass by trying to break it against a table.

"You can stand on these they won't break. They just about last forever."

Several landlords thought breweries would resist the change, but promised to work with the police in the campaign.

Karen O'Donnell, Dorset Police western division licensing officer, warned: "The first time someone gets glassed in your pub I will ask for a condition that all the glasses and bottles on the premises will be plastic."

Publicans and police in Weymouth are already pressing ahead with a campaign to use plastic glasses in bars.

Weymouth's Dorothy Inn has already replaced most of its stock with plastic glasses.

Landlord Steve Parker said last week: "I've seen some horrific injuries which simply wouldn't have happened if this type of plastic had been available."

n Insp Fry has promised publicans there would be a higher police presence in Dorchester for televised matches in pubs during the World Cup football tournament in June.