A pub in Hythe has made the 'difficult decision' to stop serving under 21s after a number of incidents involving Covid breaches, youths urinating in the car park and being aggressive towards staff.

The Bell in Seabrook Road announced the changes on its Facebook page explaining after 5pm, the entry level age will rise from 18 plus to 21 plus as a temporary measure.

A spokesman for The Bell told KentOnline: "It was a really difficult decision to make because we don't want to alienate anybody and we believe that the groups of people who were causing the challenging situations do not represent all of the under 21s who come to us for a night out.

"But we had multiple instances of breaching covid regulations despite the staff's best efforts to enforce them - aggressive and excessively loud shouting and swearing, urinating in our car park, smashing glass in the car park and even sneaking in their own alcohol.

"We want to make it clear that this new policy will constantly be under review and it is simply a short term reactive measure to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

In response to the post, loyal customers have been backing the decision.

One said: "We came for dinner a few weeks ago and were blown away by the attitude of some customers and the absolute tolerance and patience of the staff. Huge well done to you all.

"We were waited on by young girls who really did their best to make sure everyone enjoyed their meal despite some ruining it for others.

"We will be back regardless of your new rule."

Another simply added: "Well done, good idea."

Other pubs in the area have followed suit having also experienced challenging incidents.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Hythe