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The Kenton Arms by Victoria Park in Hackney has hit the headlines after banning children from its premises.
The Norwegian-run ‘Scandi pub’, which is known for its bright yellow exterior, announced its ‘new no children policy’ over the weekend. ‘This is on account of unsupervised children running amok and disturbing other drinkers,’ said a statement on Instagram.
It added that the problem was not with the children but with the fact they were not being watched by their parents. ‘This is not about having a problem with children. The issue is when they are not supervised properly, disturb others and have a HSE impact on customers and staff.’
The Kenton Arms has now put in place a no under 18s policy. It had previously had a curfew of 5pm for children. The pub was voted the Most Loved Pub in London in the Time Out Love London Awards in 2015.
Pub owner Egil Johansen – who has been running The Kenton Arms since 2009 – spoke to the Metro about some of the incidents which have led to the new policy, adding: ‘Another issue is when staff politely ask parents to supervise their children. But when staff approach parents, they’re often met with confrontation, as if we’ve done something wrong. It creates an uncomfortable situation for staff, because at the end of the day, we can’t be responsible for other people’s children.’
He went on to say that the reaction to the new policy has been ‘amazing’, adding: ‘I have received a lot of messages from other pub owners asking for advice about how this new rule has worked, because they’re considering putting similar measures in place. A lot of them are facing the same challenges.’
Last year a pub in Leyton added new curfew for children after complaints that the pub ‘resembled a creche’, but The Kenton Arms’ policy is one of the first to state an outright ban on under 18s at all hours.
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