IF you pop into The Coal Orchard or The Perkin Warbeck with the kids this weekend, don't be surprised if staff refuse to serve you more than a couple of alcoholic drinks.

It's likely to be the same at The Iron Duke, in Wellington, or The Duke of Wellington, in Minehead.

That's because Wetherspoons pubs has suggests to employees that they only allow parents two drinks when they are out with their children aged under 16.

The chain has guidelines issued to staff in all its pubs recommending the booze limit to deter "unruly behaviour" by unsupervised children.

The rule has hit the headlines after a Kent pub posted a note in its premises to that effect.

The guidlines say: "As part of our licensing it is our responsibility to ensure that we are protecting children from harm.

"Therefore adults in charge of children will be allowed to have one alcoholic drink and a further alcoholic drink with a sit-down meal."

A Wetherspoons spokesman said: "There is a guideline, though not a policy, that we will serve the adult a maximum of two alcoholic drinks with their meal.

"The reason is that we don't want children being unruly in the pubs and parents thinking they can continue to drink while this happens."