A popular East London pub has gone completely child-free after its landlord said staff could no longer manage the risks linked to unsupervised children and "entitled parents".
Pub bans children and blames entitled parents
The Kenton, based in Hackney, has introduced a full over-18s policy after previously allowing children to visit before 5pm. The pub, which focuses on drinks and regularly shows football, had already tried limiting family access before taking the step to completely ban youngsters.
Landlord Egil Johansen - who has run the venue for 17 years - said the decision followed ongoing issues that staff struggled to control.
A statement read: "After careful consideration, we've made the decision that The Kenton will now be an over-18s pub at all times.
"We want to be clear that this isn't about children themselves, it's about the level of supervision needed in what can be a very crowded, busy space.
"Ultimately, we're not able to take on the responsibility of other people's children. Despite clear signage and reminders from staff, the problem has persisted."
The pub had previously warned customers that behaviour had become an issue, writing that "lately, a few have mistaken The Kenton for a creche".
Speaking to Sky News, Mr. Johansen described a series of incidents that led to the ban.
He said: "We've had a couple of accidents, kids have been running into people carrying drinks, they've been approaching dogs, poking them, stroking them, and then dogs are barking because they are feeling stressed, which has then caused confrontations with parents."
He added that the overall situation had become difficult to manage.
He explained: "It's a big shame for people who do respect the rules or who do respect others but sadly the majority has ruined it for everyone."