Tim Martin, the Simon Cowell of the the UK pub industry and boss of JD Wetherspoon, has argued that 16-year-olds should be allowed to sup in his establishments and rallied others to fight against the culture of binge drinking.
61-year-old Martin reckons that British teenagers ought to learn how to drink in a way that doesn't conclude in a trip to A&E.
His argument is that bringing the young 'uns to Spoons could deter them from overdoing it on cheap cider and tinnies from off-licenses - regardless of how much a staple of British adolescence that may be.
Tim Martin. Image: PA
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He told the Guardian that pubs have "more or less become ghettos now for adults."
"Some sort of system that allowed 16-year-olds to have a beer or two in a pub would be good," he added.
As it stands, 16-year-olds can drink in ale houses on the basis they are eating a meal with adults.
"A pint of London Pride, lad. Yes, beer!" Image: PA
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Tim, who owns over 1,000 pubs across Britain and Ireland, fears for the survival of the boozer, saying: "You lose a lot without pubs. They're an important part of the social and cultural life of the country."
While I'm all for the rite-of-passage that is drinking White Lightning in a park aged 14, let's experiment with having 16-year-olds in pubs for, say, a year, and if they haven't learned to respect their elders, hold their drink, and not puke while having a curry poo, then kick them back out and get a round in.
Featured image credit: PA
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Wetherspoon, Beer