Protect my little children from Perivale's hippos

My children are big fans of Bramley's, an indoor adventure playground near Ladbroke Grove, and every time I go there I worry that one of them will be injured.

There are two main areas they can play in, one reserved for under-fives and the other for children aged between five and 11, but the problem is that no one bothers to enforce these rules.

What invariably happens is that children of all ages wander into both areas and the upshot is that my one-a-half-year-old is constantly under threat of being jumped on by a boisterous
11-year-old. As a parent, you have to watch your children like a hawk and be prepared to jump in and rescue them at any moment.

Still, Bramley's is a sea of tranquillity compared to the Perivale branch of Wacky Warehouse. I took all four of my children there last week and was shocked at just how little supervision there is. To give you some idea of the Wild West atmosphere, there is a pub next door and no attempt was made to stop parents nipping out to get a round in and then returning with trays full of drinks.

As you entered there was a notice stipulating that no children over four feet were allowed in the play areas but at least half the children there were taller than that. Indeed, some of the boys diving into the ball pits looked at least 16. It felt less like a family day out than a wrap party for the latest episode of Skins.

I was particularly concerned about my three-and-a-half-year- old son Ludo and tried to impress upon him just how important it was to move out of the way as soon he had landed at the bottom of a slide. Unfortunately, he hesitated for just a fraction too long and a boy of about 14 landed on top of him.

What made this particularly worrying was that this boy, like most of the yahoos at Wacky Warehouse, was grossly overweight. For poor little Ludo, who is under three foot, it was like being sat on by a hippopotamus. Luckily, there were no bones broken, but I decided to call it a day at that point.

Is it too much to ask that these indoor play areas be properly supervised?