London, Aug 8 :  A children's play-centre in Britain has barred fathers from attending with their children and is now facing a probe by equality watchdogs, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

Kids Go Wild is believed to be the first such play-centre in the country to introduce a "women only" policy - which also bans boys over the age of nine.

Bosses at the centre, which opened less than a fortnight ago, claim the policy was instigated for "cultural reasons" and was in the interest of the "predominantly Asian" local community, according to the Mail.

On Tuesday, Muslims in the Sparkhill suburb of Birmingham were among those who condemned the restrictions, which were advertised on a poster outside the centre.

It reads: "Ladies and children only. No boys over nine allowed."

According to the 2001 census, Muslims make up 54 percent of the 30,000 population of Sparkhill - more than double the number of Christians.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission Tuesday said that under the Equality Act, 2010, single sex rules should be "the exception not the norm".

© IANS