Club bosses said today they were keen to work with police to restore people's belief that Southend is safe.

One proposal is that bars and clubs in the town centre start using plastic glasses and bottles so they cannot be used as effectively as weapons.

Gary Stokes, general manager of Churchills, in Tylers Avenue, Southend, where the bottle attack on insurance worker Howard Gras, 28, took place, said: "I think if the town as a whole could get together and start using plastic glasses then we would certainly look at it."

"The problem is that many customers like drinking from glasses and the branded bottles are very popular. If you have just one of two places using plastic it gives people the impression that those places have a reputation for trouble.

"Churchills is a very safe place and we want to assure our customers that we take security and their safety very seriously."

Talk nightclub, in Lucy Road, Southend, uses special glass which crumbles when it is broken. However it is not used in bottles.

Brinsley Manzi, general manager and technical director of Talk, said: "We operate a safe environment here and the way to do that is to have good door staff, a good security policy, make sure everyone is fully trained, deal with any problems swiftly and to work closely with the police."

Published Thursday October 31, 2002

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