VIOLENT scenes which marred last year's Notting Hill Carnival could be a thing of the past thanks to plans to prohibit glass bottles at the famous event.
The finale of the 2008 extravaganza turned into chaos when youths rioted by hurling bottles at police - many of whom were injured during a mass clash outside Ladbroke Grove tube station in North Kensington.
At a public meeting held at the London Lighthouse in Lancaster Road on Thursday, it was announced that action is being taken in attempt to make Kensington and Chelsea's most famous celebration safer for revellers.
The measures include a crack down on glass at the event - which has come under pressure from local councils to clean up its act or face a funding chop.
Peter Ramage, from Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: "This is exceptionally difficult to achieve but the council will visit every single premises in and around the carnival.
"We will be talking to them about buying and selling procedures, especially options to buy containers other than glass."
Skips and closed bins to dispose of bottles were ruled out due to potential bomb risks and security threats but Mr Ramage added: "I'm not saying we will be able to remove every glass bottle, but we'll make a good try at it."
Police officers and a representative of the London Notting Hill Carnival Ltd (LNHCL) - whose former board stepped down in December - were also on hand to answer questions from the public.
LNHCL said that the event would be 'contained and sparse' in comparison to 208, and added Carnival was 'under-resourced.' He added that a move to close the event at dusk is being considered.
The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, in Acklam Road, asked for organisers to ensure that worshippers have safe passage, as carnival will clash with Ramadan in August. A representative from the centre also expressed concern about the levels of nudity at the annual event.
But despite complaints from Ladbroke Grove residents regarding safety and noise, many members of the public remained enthusiastic about the event.
One young man from Trinidad drew enthusiastic applause when he said: "Carnival is a great show. There are more good things about it than bad."
