TODAY we join Gwent police in calling for a ban on glass in late night bars and clubs across Gwent.

The police, who since April 2005 have had to deal with 94 glass or bottle attacks, usually to victims' heads and faces, want pubs and clubs voluntarily to serve only plastic 'glasses' after 9pm and to pour drinks from glass bottles into the plastic containers.

We all know what dreadful injuries can be caused by a glass or bottle being smashed into someone's face. Medical staff in our accident and emergency units know only too well how horrible the consequences are and victims are often scarred for life.

We also know how unpopular this would be with some drinkers who would say that beer just doesn't taste the same out of a plastic glass. Strangely they are quite happy to drink out of plastic at a rugby match. We are also aware of the fashion for drinking the modern designer drinks, such as alcopops, directly from the bottle and how some of the appeal may be lost if the liquid is decanted into a plastic container.

Yet as Gwent police chief licensing officer, PC Jim Aitken, told us, if you take away the glass you take away the crime.

We are not saying that alcohol related violence would fall if plastic was introduced across Gwent, but serious injuries certainly would. In the same way that knives are deadly weapons in the hands of volatile drinkers, exactly the same applies to glasses and bottles.

And as taxpayers we should all be aware that we are forking out an average of £3,500 to victims - that's £329,000 in Gwent since April 2005 - not to mention the time and money it costs in hospitals.

The onus at the moment is on pubs and clubs to join this initiative voluntarily. We recognise costs are involved and, in some ways, it would be easier if a byelaw was introduced to enforce the change.

But we hope that both licensees and our readers can see how much safer it would be, especially for our young people, if glasses and bottles were no longer available to be used as weapons by those who cannot control their actions when drunk.