Town’s milk drinkers taking to the bottle
MILKMEN and women in Southport say they have seen a “considerable” increase in orders since the start of the year.
Bates Dairy has been providing fresh milk and dairy products to the local community for almost 80 years, and is one of the largest independent dairies in the area.
Ross Bates, one of the five owners of the company, said he had noticed a “definite increase” in both interest and orders since the start of the year.
He said the recent rise could be due to the dangers of plastic being highlighted in the news and the influence of television p ro - g rammes such as BBC’s Blue Planet II after it aired harrowing scenes of sea creatures struggling to survive amongst discarded plastic bottles.
Ross said: “It has been in the news a lot, and on TV programmes, about the dangers of plastics and the importance of recycling them.
Seeing horrible footage of dead sea creatures on the seabed after eating plastic is a powerful message.
“It has made a real impact and people are questioning what it is they can to do try to prevent this happening.
“It is hard to put a figure on it, but orders have definitely increased. We have also had a lot more enquires on the phone, our website, and on our Facebook page.”
The 33-year-old also suggested that more people wanted to experience the charm and character of having dairy delivered by a milkman or woman, which could also have increased orders.
The family-run business delivers products six days a week to more than 7,000 doorsteps in Southport and Formby, as well as selling to wholesale customers in Mer s e y - side, Wirral and Lancashire.
Bates Dairy is in Stamford Road, in Southport , where it has been since it w a s established in 1939.
To raise awareness of their business, and the importance of recycling, the company launched a “have you got the bottle?” campaign earlier this month, which encourages residents to go “plastic free”.
Staff members have been parking their floats in various areas of the area, including Lord Street and Ainsdale, to speak to the public and allow them to taste samples.
So far, as a result of the campaign, they have recruited about 50 customers as well as encouraging existing customers to opt for deliveries in glass bottles, rather than plastic.
The glass bottles are often used more than 40 times before they are disposed of.
To help further reduce its carbon footprint, the company also uses fleets of eco-friendly electric milk floats.
For more information about their campaign, or what Bates Dairy offers, visit www.batesdairy.co. uk.