Revellers in Bolton will be handed children's bubble-blowers to channel boisterous behaviour into harmless fun.The blue and orange toys, which double as pens, will be handed out by police community support officers on Saturday nights throughout December.

But the scheme, being rub by the Be Safe Partnership, involving Bolton council, the police and fire service, has been criticised as a waste of tax-payers' money. Shop owner Elizabeth Edwards said: "We often have shop premises damaged by aggressive drunks and I don't think blowing bubbles is going to help, they'll only end up chucking the soapy liquid at each other. I resent having to pay business rates and council tax when the local authority spends it on such hare-brained schemes. It is appalling."

But Councillor Elaine Sherrington, of Bolton Council, said: 'The bubble pens are a great idea to keep things light-hearted. Town centre revellers will have something fun to focus on as they leave pubs and clubs."

Have Health and Safety been informed? What if someone gets soap in their eyes?

A Glasgow Saturday night needed a lot of bubbles.

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