Former BBC newsreader Jan Leeming has slammed a posh Kent hotel after a screaming child ruined her friend’s birthday lunch. She took to X to vent her frustration about the noisy youngster at The Pig at Bridge Place, near Canterbury.
Birthday Lunch Turned Sour by Screaming Child
Jan, 84, was treating a friend to a special meal at the 17th-century boutique hotel in Bridge. But the celebration was spoiled by a toddler running riot nearby – screaming and walking around unchecked.
“One tot was a real menace, allowed to walk around and often screaming. Staff played with it!” Jan fumed. She also spotted another child glued to a screen in a high chair and said parents seemed oblivious to other diners.
Jan Blasts Parents & Staff: ‘Couldn’t They Afford a Babysitter?’
Jan hit out at the parents for offering little intervention, arguing if they could afford The Pig’s pricey menu, they could afford a babysitter. When she raised the issue with staff while paying, she said she was “treated as though I were the one at fault.”
“Perhaps this shows my age,” Jan admitted.
Social Media Backs Jan’s Complaint
The star’s tweets have sparked a firestorm online. Many sympathised with her:
- “I’m with you 100% Jan… parents these days just DON’T discipline their children.”
- “Children under 12 should be banned from ale houses and restaurants.”
- “Modern Britain, but you’re right to complain.”
- “As a parent, I’d always take misbehaving kids outside until they quietened down.”
Jan replied: “Don’t think they can legally ban children. Also, it would hurt trade. So we just have to like it, lump it, or don’t go again.”
The Pig Responds
The Pig at Bridge Place is part of the Home Grown Hotels chain with 10 venues across the UK, from the Cotswolds to Cornwall. A spokesperson told MailOnline:
“Everyone is welcome at The Pig at Bridge Place – and we go to great lengths to ensure all our guests (young and old) are looked after by our wonderful team.”
Jan’s birthday lunch may have been spoiled, but The Pig remains firm on being a family-friendly hotspot—whether noisy tots like it or not.
