Leicestershire pub welcomes children at lunchtimes

A Leicestershire tenant has opened the doors of her pub to schoolchildren at lunchtime, to stop them roaming the streets.

Suzanne Davies, who runs the Railway Inn in the village of Countesthorpe, decided to offer extra facilities to children in the village by inviting them in.

The word quickly spread among the secondary school students at nearby Countesthorpe College, and up to 30 pupils now crowd into the pub on the three days every week the scheme runs.

The sale of alcohol is banned during this time and the cigarette machine is switched off. The teenagers - whose ages range from 13 to 15 - are allowed to play pool, table football and non-gambling machines. They can also spend their money on sweets, soft drinks and crisps, as well as playing the jukebox.

Apart from opening for the students, the pub is closed to over-18s until 5.30pm. Suzanne and her bar manager, Rob Barker, supervise the youngsters.

The project has been approved by parents and police.

PC Russ Hawkins said it stopped the teenagers from hanging around the streets during their lunch-hour.

Fourteen-year-old Beth Cooper, a "regular" at the pub, said: "Before this started we just spent the time walking from one end of the village to the other."

Suzanne now plans to operate the scheme in the school holidays. "It's great for the kids, and they love it. They're in a safe place, supervised and out of trouble," she said.