MP Janet Anderson is considering whether to try and introduce legislation to ban the sale of glass bottles of beer over the bar in pubs.

Bacup police in her Rossendale and Darwen constituency want the law changed so that drinkers have the choice of their beer in a glass or in a plastic bottle.

They believe that glass bottles are more dangerous and easier to use in a pub fight than glasses.

The idea was put to Mrs Anderson by PC Chris Adams, the community beat officer for Waterfoot, when she told him she had a slot to introduce a Private Members Bill under the 10-minute rule procedure in the Commons.

Although such a move is unlikely to get through Parliament and become law, it can prompt the Government to act.

This is what happened when Mrs Anderson introduced a similar measure to ban the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving a car. The Government later adopted the plan which became law earlier this year.

But Mrs Anderson's idea has been treated with scepticism by a landlords' representative.

Mrs Anderson said: "PC Adams gave me a good idea. Having persuaded the Government to act to ban the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving a motor vehicle, I needed a new campaign and it has given me a possibility.

"He said there is a need to prevent pubs from serving alcoholic drinks in glass bottles which can too easily be used as weapons. He said that glass bottles were far more dangerous than ordinary glasses.

"What he wants is to force pubs to serve beers and drinks such as alcopops in plastic bottles if people won't use a glass.

"I now intend to explore the potential of doing something about this.

"I understand that one council has already moved in this direction.

"I now need to find out more about the problem and whether we can legislate and whether there is a need to.

"Or indeed whether we can do it by persuasion from government. This is certainly an idea that I am looking at."

Geoff Sutcliffe, secretary of Blackburn's Licensed Victuallers' Association, said: "The idea of banning glass bottles is a good one, but I don't think it's feasible.

"It has been tried before and people do not want to drink out of plastic bottles so they drink out of glasses.

"And if they have a glass in their hand they still have a weapon."

Rossendale East Community Sergeant Danny Trelawny said: "PC Adams took up this idea for all the pubs and clubs to introduce shatterproof glasses and plastic bottles.

"A lot of assaults take place on licensed premises with glassware used as weapons and we are trying to reduce that number.

"The scheme has backing from the Club and Pubwatch schemes and we will be looking for funding to introduce it locally.

"We would be very pleased if this was taken up by Janet Anderson and if the law was changed because of what we are doing."