Tube station's bosses ban Heelys on platforms

A sign at Balham, on the Northern Line, asks parents to make sure children do not wear them.

The sign does not explain why but Transport for London said the decision was made after comments from passengers and because more children had used the station during the holidays.

A TfL spokeswoman would not say if the ban would be imposed at other stations. The training shoes allow children to skate simply by transferring their weight to their heels.

In January, Jarred Twaits, 12, was left fighting for his life after a collision with a car in Seaford, East Sussex. His parents questioned the safety of the footwear but police said they were not to blame. A month later, councillors banned Heelys from Yeovil, because the town is on a hill and they could cause accidents.

Users now face a £500 fine. TfL's ban at Balham was welcomed by some parents. Sophie Crossley, a mother of three from West Sussex, said: "I won't let any of my children have them. They can easily lose control." But Andrea King, whose daughter Mali-Ray Bah, five, was skating in Regent Street, said: "If we were to go on the Tube I would say be careful but if you keep on telling them not to do things they're not going to think for themselves."

Peter Cornall of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said the shoes are unlikely to be a hazard.