Soft play centres are on the verge of being wiped out in the UK, according to operators of what is almost the last business in the country to be given the go-ahead to reopen their doors.
At least 15 independent soft play centres have closed down in the past three weeks, says the trade association, BALPPA, leading a campaign to get the industry back into business with a petition and demonstration in London.
The industry has 1,100 soft play centres across Britain, but their unique format is too "difficult to clean", such as ball pits.
Paul Kelly, CEO of the trade association, said: “We have had a huge amount of support from people who use these centres all the time – they are embedded in our local communities. We want the government to tell us the date we can reopen or tell us why we can’t. I cannot see the centres surviving if we don’t hear something soon – we are heading for a cliff edge.”
