LONDON — The country that produced Shakespeare, The Clash and the Premier League has come up with a whole new contribution to world culture — the unbreakable pint glass.
The innovation — proudly unveiled by the government Thursday — means that bleary-eyed beer drinkers won’t be able to smash their glasses, use the shards as weapons and attack their best friends or worst enemies when they are too blotto to tell the difference.
Ironically, no officials were talking about reforming the British binge drinking culture at the root of the problem, but they swear the country will save billions in health-care costs by coming up with a glass that doesn’t double as a lethal weapon.
There are about 87,000 alcohol-related glass attacks each year, with many resulting in hospital visits, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said as he introduced the two prototype shatterproof pint glasses.
“Glassing causes horrific injuries and has a lasting and devastating impact on victims and their families,” he said. “I hope these designs will help bring an end to such attacks.”
The government is touting the prototypes as the first significant improvement in bar glassware since the 1960s.