Pring: Kids! Leave those pubs alone

It's hard not to feel the cards are stacked against you in the trade these days, especially if you're running a struggling pub.

The economy's near bust, punters are staying away, inflation's on the rise - as is every running cost - the off-trade is still shamelessly stealing business, and the Government and doctors seem to think there's something wrong with having more than a half of shandy.

You really do struggle to see the silver lining at the moment.

And then there's the police. Talk to multiple retailers and licensees across the country, and you'll as often as not get a story about heavy-handedness and general suspicion that the trade's up to no good. Whether it's awkward late-night requests to see the licence or ignorance about the required presence of the designated premises licence-holder, the police do seem to be unable to recognise the enormous efforts made by licensees to keep out underage kids and not allow stupid promotions or drunkenness in their pubs.

Given these efforts, it's even more galling that the kids who do try to get served alcohol illegally are let off scot-free if they're caught in police stings.

As our legal columnist Peter Coulson writes this week, innocent landlords are living in fear of losing their licence if they inadvertently serve anyone under the legal age who is unaccompanied by their parents. But the kids have no such fears about their lives being affected in any way whatsoever.

This is plainly daft. If we're trying to encourage a more responsible approach to alcohol amongst children, then we have to teach them they have duties and responsibilities which they must observe. And if they choose to flout the law, they must suffer the consequences.

It's a terrible indictment of Britain today that the law-makers have so little confidence in the judicial system that they daren't fine youngsters because they know the fines are unenforceable. So the only resort left to police is to punish licensees. No wonder they feel the deck is stacked.

Asda​

Asda, to its credit, has recognised the absurdity of letting kids off the hook. In a very welcome statement, it says it is looking at prosecuting under-18s who attempt to buy alcohol. And it's also going to stop selling alcohol after midnight and sweep shooters off its shelves. Decisive action like that is far more impressive than Tesco's weasel words inviting Government to suggest how it can behave more responsibly. Why can't it prosecute too?