Case 228 - Enquirer suddenly banned from taking a pushchair into the cinema that he had used previously on many occasions

The issue raised with the myth-buster challenge panel in case 228 was that suddenly the enquirer was banned from taking a pushchair into a cinema. Previously the enquirer had been able to do this in his local cinema on many occasions. He of course understands that in an emergency, the aisles need to be uncluttered but in this instance, attendees were at about 10% of capacity on a Saturday when many parents with small children and babies in pushchairs may wish to go to the cinema.

The panel’s decision:

The panel agreed that there is no health and safety reason for a blanket ban on pushchairs in a cinema. Many cinemas have specific areas set aside for use by wheelchair users, so it is difficult to understand why this cannot also be used for pushchairs provided there is capacity. The cinema should explain clearly why they have taken a local decision to ban pushchairs. Seeking a solution that works for everyone would be preferable to using 'health and safety' as a catch-all excuse.