Pint-sized, yes, but do children and pubs mix..?

The lager louts of the future may well be the lemonade louts of the present, writes Stephen McGinty

FOR children, there was a dark age when they were permitted to be seen, but not heard. Those days are gone, now, they are not only to be seen and heard but regularly bought a round in the pub.

What was once a sacred space where men could sit in quiet contemplation, previously wreathed in cigarette smoke, while nursing a pint and a whisky, is, according to the Good Pub Guide, in danger of becoming a crèche with optics.

In the past, the unsteadiest person in a public house was likely to be an unfortunate patron whose thirst that evening had been particularly fierce, but today it can be a toddler, or an eight-year-old fuelled by too many cans of caffeinated coke and intent on breaking his previous record at lapping the bar.

The growth of the "family pub", itself an oxymoron for older generations, has come at a price – the contentment of the traditional patron.

Yesterday, Alastair Aird, the editor of the Good Pub Guide 2009, the annual publication that celebrates the best of our British bars, said he had been taken aback by the grumbling of discontent about the behaviour of the youngest patrons or "baby lager louts", as they have been dubbed, though "lemonade louts" would surely have been more appropriate. While announcing the winner of the British Pub of the Year – congratulations to the Golden Heart, near Brimpsfield, Gloucestershire – Mr Aird issued a plea to parents to keep a closer eye on their little darlings.

As he explained: "This year more readers than ever before have complained to us about pub visits being spoiled for them by badly behaved children running around unchecked. This is a peculiarly British problem; in continental restaurants and cafés, it's normal to see families with children, not normal to see kids spoil things for grown-ups. So we have considerable sympathy with the landlord of one Sussex pub who told us that he had decided it 'just didn't suit children', as he didn't want to do plates of chips or burgers, and didn't want to have to look after customers' children."

He continued: "It's easy to say that we could start treating parents who let their children run riot with the disdain normally reserved for lager louts.

"But would that have any impact on people who think they are entitled to a thoroughly relaxed family day out? And you can imagine the retort when a publican asks a badly behaved family to quieten their children: 'We've just spent over 50 quid here, do you want us to leave without paying?' "

In Scotland, the presence of children in pubs is growing, but from a small base. The introduction of the smoking ban has hit many pubs hard, according to the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), and, in order to pull in more customers, an increasing number are rebranding themselves as "family-friendly" establishments. However, by August 2007, just 66 out of 731 licensed premises in Edinburgh had applied for a children's certificate. Although the figure is less than 10 per cent, it is expected to double by the time the new licensing law comes into force on 1 September, 2009.

The law concerning the admittance of persons aged under 18 into pubs is complicated. Under the licensing act of 1976, publicans are allowed to admit a person over the age of 14, as long as they are accompanied by an adult and do not consume any alcohol. However, for many years, very few pubs would allow an under-age teenager into their establishment on account of the monitoring involved to ensure they did not drink. Then in 1990, children's certificates' were introduced into law, allowing minors to enjoy pub lunches with their parents.

Today, the hoops through which a landlord must leap in order to obtain a children's certificate make the tiny-tots their most demanding customers, banishing high bar stools and insisting on plastic beakers as well as their own personal changing facilities with wash-hand basins thermostatically controlled to 39C.

At the Courtyard, a family-orientated pub in Leith, run by Steve Mundie, young children are more than welcome. Mr Mundie explained that, while the vast majority are well-behaved, at least once a week his staff will have to warn parents about the behaviour of their children. "Unfortunately, there is an element among our clientèle who seem to regard our staff as unpaid baby-sitters and who exert no control whatsoever on their kids. A number of times, plates have gone flying after a kid has rocketed into one of our members of staff, either from the side or the back, as the child wasn't looking where he was going. It can be difficult, as parents are catching up with friends, trying to enjoy a meal or have a drink, but sometimes they don't appear to be aware that their children are in an environment that is potentially hazardous."

Mr Mundie, who is also the president of the SLTA, said he believes the number of pubs prepared to take children will rise. But there is a cost involved in expanding to attract extra trade. Under the old system, it cost about £300 for a landlord to renew his licence every three years. Now, under the new system, he says many landlords are paying as much as £5,000 – about £1,000 for the new licence and the rest made up of the expense of architect's plans, conducting risk assessments and equipping the premises to the required health-and-safety standards.

Then there is the danger of losing existing trade. He said: "The public can always vote with their feet, and there is a generation for whom children in a pub is a distraction and they are vocal in telling you: 'Can you not do something about them?'

A tour of Edinburgh's finest drinking establishments provided a range of views. Stewart Evans, 53, who is unemployed, said he wasn't opposed to the idea. "I don't mind it as long as it's not too late at night, then I don't like the idea of parents drinking with children around – through the day it's fine. I see parents being refused entry to pubs when they are going there for something to eat. They're persecuted because they have children," he said.

And Bjaime Olsen, 60, a teacher from Denmark, positively encouraged the idea. On a previous visit to Britain, she and her husband had been refused entry to a pub where they had planned to dine with her son. She said: "Children should be with their family who are drinking. Children who are allowed in pubs with their parents develop a good relationship with alcohol. They do not have a natural relationship with alcohol if they are excluded from going to a pub with adults."

Yet despite the rise in the number of pubs that welcome "lemonade louts", there is no shortage of venues unlikely to apply for a children's certificate. The traditional football pub, where supporters gather and paint the air blue, will remain a child-free zone. But for the likes of the Golden Heart, the young masters will continue to strut through the doors, because, as the owner said yesterday: "They are the customers of the future."

• Additional reporting by Laura McGrath

Strict schedule of rules for making a venue family-friendly

EACH local authority in Scotland has its own criteria for issuing a children's certificate to licensed premises. City of Edinburgh Council is the most rigorous and includes the following ten commandments:

1. In areas covered by children's certificates, accompanying adults must be able to see their children at all times.

2. Children's drinks must be served in plastic or paper containers.

3. Any stairs on the premises shall be adequately guarded by a gate or other suitable means. All heating appliances shall be adequately guarded.

4. All electrical sockets in public areas shall be adequately protected.

5. Furniture and fittings in the area covered by the children's certificate shall be of safe design, with particular regard to sharp-edged tables, glass tables, high bar stools, etc.

6. A minimum of two high chairs must be provided for very young children. The chairs must have restraints.

7. Baby-changing facilities shall be provided in a room separate from the toilets.

A wash-hand basin with piped supplies of hot and cold water or warm water, thermostatically controlled to 39C, shall be provided.

8. A menu shall be available at all times, with a children's section or indicating that half portions are available.

9. Smoking is not permitted in the area covered by the children's certificate during the certificate's hours of operation.

10. Where the premises has amusement machines offering cash prizes situated in the area covered by the children's certificate, they shall be switched off and covered during the hours of operation of the children's certificate.