In one of the recent news that can be described as bizarre, bar attendants in Belgiam are now opting to keep customers’ shoes as collateral to avoid theft of beer glasses.

According to reports, stealing elaborate beer glasses has become an increasingly popular trend among patrons of Belgiam beer bars, so much so that in recent years owners of such establishments have started implementing all sorts of safety measures.

For example, one bar in the city of Ghent asks visitors to hand over one of their shoes as collateral.

Philip Maes, owner of the bar told  local media that he loses over 4,000 beer glasses a year, which can get pretty expensive, as many of these glasses are elaborate works of art custom made for his establishment.

In Belgium, a beer glass can cost up to 50 euros (over K30,000) so having thousands of them stolen adds up to a significant financial loss.

Hence that Maes and other bar owners have implemented security measures to discourage beer glass thefts.

Belgian beer is famous the world over, so it’s no surprise that tourists flock to beer bars when visiting the European country.