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A cafe owner has defended his decision to 'bar' kids under 12 from his premises – but allow dogs.

Parents have slammed Bob Higginson, who runs The Chart Room in Brixham, Devon, for implementing the policy.

Some residents have called for a boycott of the ocean liner-themed coffee shop, which opened a month ago in the centre of town.

The coffee lounge is themed around 1920s to 1950s steamship travel. It sells high-end teas and coffees and homemade cakes, pastries and savoury dishes.

Bob, who was head waiter aboard te QE2 ocean liner in the '70s, does not technically ‘ban’ children under 12, but has a sign publicly stating that his coffee shop doesn't cater for this age group, Devon Live reports. He actively encourages parents with youngsters to stay away.

“For our shop to evolve into a coffee lounge for adults who want to feel like they’re sitting inside an ocean liner seemed natural," said Bob.

"We don’t want it to be a normal coffee shop because there are lots of places to get a nice coffee in Brixham. We wanted to create an experience.”

Some locals support Bob's decision, suggesting a child-free environment is welcome. Others aren't so keen and have criticised the move.

Wendy Moore was appalled to hear that the café welcomes dogs but not children and called for a boycott.

She said: “What kind of town are we living in when dogs are allowed into an establishment and children are not? Who on Earth does Bob Higginson think he is?

"Would be ban disabled people from entering his premises? Or people of a particular race or colour or religion? I’ll bet my bottom dollar he wouldn’t.

“Or how about the elderly? Ban them as well, would he? No, he wouldn't – that would be ageism. So how come he thinks it’s OK to ban children of a certain age? This is blatant discrimination.

“Can you imagine this on the continent, in Italy say, where dogs are allowed but children not? Any such proprietor would be run out of town.

“I shall certainly be boycotting this place and I will be advising the many friends and relatives who come to visit us here to do the same. And I would call upon anyone living or visiting Brixham who do not put dogs before children to do the same.”

(Image: Getty)

Despite complaints, Bob said he stands by the policy. He said that for every person to complain, he's had ten messages of support.

Bob, who has two children of his own, now aged 24 and 21, added that he "loves kids" but there are plenty of other places in Brixham where they can go.

He said: “The coffee lounge has been going really well since it opened. It has increased footfall into the shop and I’m really pleased. It’s very popular and a lot of people have said they approve of the no children policy.

“Primarily we wanted to create a nice, relaxed atmosphere for our client base. My main demographic are older, more mature people who want peace and quiet. I wanted people to be able to come and discuss the old days and have a nostalgic chat without children running around and distracting them.

“There are nice and expensive artefacts around which are not behind glass cases like they would be in a museum, so people can touch them, and we’ve had things broken by children in the past.

“We have never banned anyone. During busy periods we might say to people please come back when it’s quieter. It’s only small – if we’ve got one wheelchair or one pushchair there’s not room for another.

“Yes, we welcome dogs. A lot of people have assistance dogs or pets they bring with them and they don’t jump around taking things off the tables. I’ve never had a badly behaved dog come in, no dog has ever broken anything in the shop.

“The age limit of 12 may be adjusted at a later date if we think we’ve set it too high. I haven’t set out to offend anyone and I apologise if I have offended anyone. I didn’t expect it to be such a controversial subject.”

A Torbay Council spokesman said: “Whether or not children (under 18s) are permitted on a premises is not legislated. Therefore, there would be no direction from the council as to whether a business can or cannot permit entry to children. This would be a matter totally at the discretion of the premises licence holder or if not licensed then the business/premises owner.”