Call to ban under-18 events at Shropshire nightclubs

Reverend Keith Osmund-Smith says he sees teenagers turning up for events drunk after "pre-loading" at home.

There is no suggestion venues holding under 18 nights across the county serve alcohol, but Mr Osmund-Smith says he regularly sees children as young as 12 turning up worse for wear.

The member of Telford Street Pastors spoke out after the Shropshire Star revealed six children a week are going to Shropshire's two hospitals for alcohol and drug abuse.

Nightclub bosses insisted their alcohol-free under-18 events were "rigorously controlled" and provided young people with a "fun and safe" place to go.

But Mr Osmund-Smith says some children drink at home and turn up incapable of looking after themselves.

He said: "We see far too many children trying to do the adult thing — knowing they will not be served alcohol at the venues — they pre-load with alcohol from home and within a short time of arrival at the clubs they are incapable of looking after themselves.

"There is a huge age gap between a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old.

"They often get older siblings or friends to buy them alcohol and stash it somewhere outside the venue.

"We've seen 14 and 15-year-olds lying in the gutter in their own vomit or urine because they've had too much to drink.

"They are too young to understand the danger they are putting themselves in and this exploitation needs to stop."

Costas Vanezi, owner of Pussycats in Wellington, Telford, said all events for teenagers were "rigorously controlled" and "completely alcohol free".

He said: "These events are made for children to keep them occupied and so they can socialise in a controlled environment. When it comes to drinking before the event, where do we draw the line?

"We had a 16th birthday party the other week and there were no issues whatsoever. These nights are not the cause of underage drinking.

"If they turn up and they've been drinking we have a room to hold them in while we call their parents and the police are also there."

Mr Osmund-Smith claims that many teens drink at home prior to heading to venues across the region and become so drunk they are incapable of looking after themselves.

But Donna Evans, manager at Industry nightclub in Oakengates, Telford, said: "All the alcohol is stripped from the bars and the fridges. If they do turn up drunk then we take them to a different room where we call their parents. The young people are not even allowed outside the venue until the end, it is very safe."

The monthly event at Industry is run by Energy Under-18s, which caters for about 300 youths in Telford, and manager Maggie Watson added: "Many young people do not have access to youth clubs anymore as funding from local government is no longer available, so what are the young people supposed to do with themselves?

"The idea is to give the young people a safe, friendly and energetic environment to socialise in and spend time with their friends while listening and dancing to music that is currently trending on the airwaves.

"These events are crucial for the young people as it gives them something to look forward to each month and gets everyone together from the surrounding areas. Energy has a fantastic relationship with all our partners from the street pastors to licensing department to the local police. Safeguarding the young people is priority for us and always has been."