Why Bacup pub has decided to ban all children

A pub has decided to ban all children after “a lot of complaints”.

Landlord Jason Cronin and manager Nicola Watson-Parker said from now on no-one under 16 would be allowed in the New Inn in Rochdale Road, Bacup, Lancashire.

They posted on Facebook to say there had been complaints over “the mess that has been left and kids being left to their own devices, running round”.

The move – which will also see under-18s banned after 19:30 – was broadly supported by people posting on the pub’s Facebook page, including one who said they “felt sorry for kids who get brought up running around the pub in their school uniform until 8-9pm, fruit shoot and a bag of quavers for tea”.

The couple said the ban was “not something we wanted to do” and it was “a hard decision” as it also affected their own children.

One local said: “It is a hard decision to make and yes some people do spoil it for others but the pub is for adults and I for one don’t like to see kids in a pub, it’s not the kids’ fault either, most kids don’t even want to be there anyway.”

Children were not allowed in pubs before 1995, but some pubs did accommodate children in family rooms.

The Licensing Act 2003 removed many of the restrictions on children in pubs, and they are now typically allowed in pubs until 21:00.

Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, but landlords are entitled to impose their own restrictions.