A Dereham nightclub has banned drinking out of glasses and bottles after a teenager was left blinded in one eye in a glassing incident. Richard Blackmore, 18, was glassed in the face at Splitz nightclub, in Quebec Street, on August 19, and surgeons have told him his right eye cannot be saved.

A Dereham nightclub has banned drinking out of glasses and bottles after a teenager was left blinded in one eye in a glassing incident.

Richard Blackmore, 18, was glassed in the face at Splitz nightclub, in Quebec Street, on August 19, and surgeons have told him his right eye cannot be saved.

Yesterday his parents Sharon and Brian Blackmore backed the club's decision to use unbreakable polycarbonate glasses stop other people being seriously wounded.

Richard, a civil engineer, is recovering at the family home in Southend, Dereham, and remains under hospital care.

Mrs Blackmore said: “He is still recovering and it takes a lot of effort for him to do anything but he has a strong personality and is taking each day as it comes.

“If these glasses can stop someone else from becoming a victim then we are all for it.”

Since the incident Splitz owner and licensee Jacky Thorne has worked closely with the police and council licensing units to explore safety improvements at the venue.

Mrs Thorne said: “After what happened, we thought we would go down the road of introducing polycarbonate glasses.

“We thought we might get a bit of a reaction from people who like their drinks in bottles but we used them for the first time on Thursday and they went down really well.

“We want to put our customers' safety first and I hope people will respect that fact that this has been introduced for their own benefit and enjoyment.”

Police licensing officer Tony Grover encouraged other pubs and clubs to follow suit so that glasses could no longer be used as weapons.

A 28-year-old local man arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent in relation to the attack is due to answer police bail next month .