I'm forever blowing bubbles

So much for zero tolerance, government's latest weapon in tackling the binge drinking curb is bubble blowing.

Revellers at pubs and clubs will be handed bubble-blowers with the aim of channeling rowdy behaviour into harmless fun.

The blue and orange children's toys, which double as pens, will be handed out by police community support officers in Bolton on Saturday nights throughout December. In the beginning of November drinkers were handed lollipops as they left pubs and clubs after research showed the sugar in the sweets helped stabilise the behaviour of people who had drunk a lot of alcohol.

Thames Valley Police claimed the scheme reduced the number of violent assaults on the streets by 10 per cent.Last week it emerged that women in Devon, spotted staggering home in high heels or bare feet, are being given flip-flops to stop them falling face-first in the gutter.

But the latest initiative has been condemned as a 'nursery school gimmick' and a waste of taxpayers money.Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: 'This is completely bonkers. People want the police fighting crime, not handing out nursery school gimmicks. If this money isn't needed it should be given back to taxpayers, not squandered".

I might not be entitled to an opinion as I am not a tax payer, but i sure can find at least 5oo taxpayers who would be happier in spending money on bubbles and flip flops rather than paying Boris Johnson's salary, though it might be a little chilly to walk around Devon in December in flip flops.

image from: google images