A pair of shopkeepers have taken the decision to ban the sale of energy to drinks to children under 16 – and claim it comes in response to parents' concerns about the products.
Nicki and Paul Gentle who run Trelawney Stores in Peverell, Plymouth, have put up a sign in their shop saying: 'Following requests from parents the high caffeine drinks listed below will not be sold to under 16s'.
The couple say that mums and dads were concerned about the effects drinks such as Relentless, Monster, Rockstar and Red Bull had on their kids.
Paul Gentle told his local paper:
"We're in a highly residential area and following a number of requests from parents not to sell energy drinks to their children, we decided to impose a blanket ban.
"It's responsible retailing – if the parents don't want their children to buy these drinks then we are happy to help impose those rules.
"Some of the drinks are worse than others, but we specify which drinks are included in the ban on the poster. I've drank some of them and had palpitations, so they must have an affect on children."
Mr Gentle said he took the decision to slap an age ban on the products after 'two or three parents' came in a requested they didn't sell them to their children.
"There are plenty of other drinks for them to choose from," he said. "But we do have issues with kids wanting to buy them – they often come in and ask if they can."
He said they have only had one occasion where a child was refused an energy drink then returned with a parent who bought it for them.
"Not every parent refuses to let their children have the drinks," he admitted.
There is usually around 80mg of caffeine in a 250ml energy drink can, the same as can be found in three cans of cola or one mug of instant coffee, along with large amounts of sugar.
The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) published a voluntary Code of Practice in April 2010 and recommended energy drinks be labelled as 'Not suitable for children, pregnant women and persons sensitive to caffeine'.
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