Town hall bids to stop pubs' bottle mountain

Hundreds of pubs in and around Bolton have been left with mountains of used beer bottles after the group, Berryman, claimed not enough licensees were prepared to pay the £100 a month fee.

The company introduced the charge when it took over the service as a commercial venture from another firm, Valpak, who had provided it for free.

The decision has left licensees across the borough with thousands of used bottles, which they may have to deposit in public bottle banks one at a time.

But Town Hall bosses say they are now prepared to intervene to help out deluged landlords amid fears that the removal of the service could result in fly-tipping or health hazards - but only if a sufficient number of landlords are prepared to a pay "reasonable price" for the service.

Alan Fisher, director of Commercial Services at Bolton Council, said: "We are very concerned about the situation that certain businesses are facing with cancellation of their recycling glass collections by Berryman.

"The council was only made aware on Friday, March 11 that collections would be stopped.

"We are determined to help traders by considering providing the service ourselves, but would need to know the level of interest and commitment to pay a reasonable collection charge before any firm decision can be made."

Town hall bosses say the price will vary depending on the size of the container and frequency of the service and that it is impossible to set a fee at this stage.

Any charges will simply be used to cover costs and no profit will be made by the council.

Traders who had a contract with Berryman and are interested in letting the council collect and recycle their glass are asked to call 01204 336644.

Another company has also offered to collect the bottles and recycle them into road fill.

Barry Murphy said his Farnworth-based firm Tip Tec could step in to help landlords left in the lurch. The group can be contacted on 0845 1306127.