Four bars and clubs in the city centre are piloting the scheme, which will put a stop to shattered glass on dance floors and violent attacks.

The Point, The Glass Spider, Liquid and Passion have all signed up to the scheme, run by Safer Sunderland Partnership, Northumbria Police and city centre bosses, and have been supplied with 18,216 glasses.

Coun Tom Foster, of Safer Sunderland Partnership, is putting his weight behind the initiative as he knows the injuries glasses can cause.

He said: "I support this enormously from a safety point of view because my nephew was the victim of a glass incident.

"He was an innocent bystander in a pub several years ago and he lost the sight in one eye when a glass was thrown at him.

"He was a semi-professional footballer and it affected his career as well as the effects on his life, so I know first hand the devastating affects it can have on people.

"Using a glass as a weapon is the most cowardly thing you can do, but you still get people and this will help to stop it."

The glasses are made from the same sort of plastic used in crash helmets and are said to be able to withstand the weight of a small car.
They are also 100 per cent recyclable.

Sunderland police have also welcomed the move.

Pc Paul Thomas, of Sunderland Central neighbourhood policing team, said: "Incidents involving glass are very rare, but by using these glasses we can avoid any such incidents in the future."

Louise Hardy, city centre manager, added: "This will also protect against accidents involving glass, like when they drop on the floor and smash and someone cuts their feet on them."

Liquid/Diva has been using the glasses since January and said they have proved a huge hit, and Passion has been using them since it opened its doors last month.

Michael Downey, of Passion, has also ordered polycarbonate bottles for the club.

Karen Seafield, of KLR management, said: "No one in the club has asked for plasters, which was quite common due to glasses been broken on the floor."

The glasses will be used as part of a five- month pilot scheme which could then be rolled out across the rest of the city.