Victory for bar in polycarbonate case

A venue is celebrating after a court ruled it should not be forced to serve drinks in polycarbonates.

Ferdinand Konig, who runs the bar 24/7 in St Albans in Hertfordshire, had been banned from using glass after a serious incident - which did not involve glass - outside the premises a year ago.

He appealed against the police and council's stance that the venue was high risk and that using polycarbonates was necessary.

Magistrates at the appeal hearing ruled in his favour and ordered the condition be removed form his licence.

Lawyer James Anderson, of Poppleston Allen, said the decision was "a victory for common sense."

"We argued that the premises were "low risk" because there were no incidents of glass being used as a weapon or causing injury by accident, and crime and disorder was remarkably low for a late night venue and there was no way the statutory test of necessity had been made out on the evidence," he said.

In an interview with The Publican​ earlier this year Chris Allison, the former Association of Chief Police Officers lead on licensing, said he wanted all pubs to use polycarbonates.

And pubs in West Berkshire recently received letters from police urging them to go glass free at "necessary" times.