'I weigh kids on beach', says donkey-ride owner

A seaside donkey-ride owner says he now weighs children because of high obesity levels.

John Nuttall, whose family has been operating in Lincolnshire for more than 100 years, said children were required to step on a set of scales if they appeared to weigh over 6st (38kg).

"Some are just too big to ride a donkey," he said. "My donkeys work hard enough for me. The welfare of the animals has to come first."

However, Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said it was "completely unacceptable to weigh a child in public and then say they can't go on a ride".

Mr Nuttall, whose company operates on beaches in Skegness and Cleethorpes, has put up weighing stations on the sand.

He said: "It's a sign of the times. Years ago you never had that. Kids were fit and healthy."

As well as weight restrictions, Mr Nuttall said riders must be under 4ft 7ins (1.4m) and aged 10 or under.

According to data released in October by the NHS, 20% of 10 and 11-year-olds in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, which includes Skegness, were obese last year.

Mr Nuttall claimed allowing obese children to ride posed risks to them and the donkeys.

He said: "If a child, due to their size, cannot keep their balance, there is a danger they could slip off the saddle, injuring themselves and the donkey. We assess all riders for the donkey they wish to ride."

While some children were "disappointed" when refused a ride, neither he nor his staff had experienced any abuse from families.

"People are understanding," he said. "Ultimately, it's about the welfare of the donkeys.

"The days of donkeys going up and down a beach with an adult on its back are long gone."

Mr Nuttall blamed fast-food culture and a lack of physical exercise for the issue.

"Children need exercise," he said. "I have three boys and a girl and they are fit as fleas because they don't eat rubbish and they go to the gym and take regular exercise."

The Obesity Health Alliance is a coalition of more than 50 organisations and has a goal of preventing obesity-related ill-health. Ms Jenner also blamed the "environment that surrounds children".

"It's the unhealthy food and drink that they have on their plates, in their high streets, in their schools," she said. "That's where we should be focussing our attention to try and improve what children are being given, rather than embarrassing them about their size."

In Skegness, the holidaymakers the BBC spoke to generally seemed in agreement with the restrictions.

Grandmother-of-five Dawn Fraser, 54, said: "Kids are getting bigger. It's shocking."

However, Angela Coles, 60, said: "It seems a little unfair when people have come all this way on holiday. It spoils it."

Mr Nuttall insisted he was "not being nasty".

"We're just saying if you come within the size and weight, you can ride. If not, you don't go on."

Those children deemed too heavy to ride were "still free to stroke the donkeys", he added.

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