PARENTS have sent letters of complaint to a children’s play centre, claiming a fire alert resulted in a “disgraceful” evacuation.

Fire alarms at Gambado play centre in Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, were set off on Thursday morning (February 18) and 395 visitors and 27 employees rushed outside.

However, parents say the evacuation procedure was inadequate to deal with the number of people in the building, and once outside children were left barefoot in rain and freezing conditions.

Jenny Robinson, 32, from Bexleyheath, says she had trouble finding her two young children in the chaos.

She added: “The whole thing was disgraceful. If there had been a fire in there we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Gambado general manager Phillip Geise said both he and the fire brigade were impressed with the speed in which the building was evacuated but had already received several letters of complaint.

He said the building was emptied in around four-and-a-half minutes and people were ushered back inside within 25 minutes.

Mr Geise said: “We apologise for the traumatic experience that our guests had to go through but safety is our number one priority.

"We would rather people stand out in the cold than risk getting hurt in a fire.”

He added that the centre would not be changing its fire evacuation procedures.

It is understood a piece of burning toast may have set off the alarms at around 11.40am.