Parents are worried that many nightclub and bar owners are looking the other way as minors flock to discotheques, pubs, night-clubs and wild parties during the weekend in their hundreds.

Unbelievably, these children often find their way into places which should not even let them near the entrance, let alone inside and making the most of whatever the establishment offers – including alcohol.

According to a code of ethics issued by the Association of General Retailers and Traders, outlets should abide by the law, not allowing anybody under 16 into such premises.

Philip Fenech, who is the President of the Hospitality & Leisure Division, says he believes that if bar owners are in any doubt about a customer’s age, they should insist on the person producing his identity card.

But one has to question whether many proprietors are putting this advice into practice, when so many teenagers who are aged 14 and under can be found in outlets, blatantly consuming alcoholic beverages.

Unfortunately, if these youngsters are caught, they end up in court, which is fair in some ways, since they broke the law. But being minors, one has to ask whether the persons who allowed them in, in the first place, should also be taking their fair share of the punishment.