Energy drinks will be banned from being sold to those under 16 in England from April next year.The ban will apply to beverages containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre but will not include tea and coffee.It covers sales in shops, vending machines and online.Lower-caffeine soft drinks – such as Coca‑Cola, Coca‑Cola Zero, Diet Coke and Pepsi – are not affected but drinks including Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime would all breach the limit.Retailers will be responsible for ensuring the drinks are not sold to under-16s and businesses that fail to do so face fines of up to £2,500.Around 100,000 children in England are thought to consume at least one high-caffeine energy drink every day.The new rules aim to reduce obesity levels in children and prevent issues such as disrupted sleep, increased anxiety and lack of concentration, as well as poorer school results.The new rules will come in via secondary legislation using powers from the Food Safety Act 1990, and the ban is planned to come into force in April 2027, subject to parliamentary approval.British public health minister Sharon Hodgson said: “High-caffeine energy drinks have no place in children’s hands.“We know thousands of kids in England consume them daily but the evidence is clear that this can cause anxiety, affect their sleep and concentration and can have a detrimental impact on their education.“This ban will reduce children’s opportunity to buy drinks that are harmful to their health and wellbeing, and demonstrates our firm commitment to creating the healthiest generation of children ever.”Teachers’ union NASUWT welcomed the ban.Matt Wrack, general secretary of NASUWT said: “We have long campaigned for a ban on the sale of these types of energy drinks to children and young people. It has been more than two years since Keir Starmer pledged that a Labour government would act to ban access to energy drinks for children and young people, and restrictions are long overdue.“Teachers and school leaders continue to see first-hand on a daily basis the contribution energy drinks can make to poor pupil behaviour and pupils’ ability to concentrate in class.”The British Soft Drinks Association said the ban was “unnecessary”. – PA