Portsmouth bottle banks inundated with booze empties after Christmas

Photographs taken yesterday have revealed the extent of Portsmouth’s drinking on Christmas Day, with bottles strewn across the pavements.

These photos, taken at the bottle bank near Victoria Avenue in Old Portsmouth, show a handful of empty coffee and dip jars – but the vast majority comes from bottles of wine, spirits and cider.

Steve Lewis, a semi-retired photographer, was on a Boxing Day walk when he came across the rubbish.

He said: ‘I was shocked by just how many bottles there were – it seemed pretty excessive to me.

‘I’ve never seen the bottle bank like that before, and it was basically all alcohol.

‘I guess it was in high demand this Christmas, after everything that’s been happening.’

Since Portsmouth was moved into tier four coronavirus restrictions, hospitality venues such as bars, pubs and restaurants have been closed, except for takeaway.

This means that people have relied on essential retail for their festive tipple.

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‘My guess is that it’s down to the pubs being shut,’ Steve said.

‘People are just drinking at home to make up for it – I dread to think what this will look like on New Year’s Day.

‘I’m sure it’s going to get worse. I just hope the council is prepared for it and can do a collection before then.’

Portsmouth City Council has been asked about upcoming collection dates.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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