Police Raid Toddler’s Party After Parent’s Light Birthday Cake Candles

How could a three-year-old’s birthday party be complete without a birthday cake and candles? Some parents in the UK had the chance to find that out last week when they tried to light the candles on their son’s cake at a kids’ play center and someone called the cops.

Natasha Bent was having her son’s third birthday party at Rumble Tumble, a family-oriented play place that often holds children’s events. When she went to light the candles on little Oscar’s cake, a staff member told her she wasn’t allowed to do it. She and her family protested, but they were told that due to “health and safety rules,” the candles could only be lit in a special area so they could be supervised.

The family decided to take the cake outside and light the candles in the parking lot, but they were still on Rumble Tumble property, so the staff called the police to report the safety violation. The intervening staff member also told the police that the family had been aggressive and attempted to intimidate her.

According to the boy’s mother, “All we wanted to do was sing happy birthday and have Oscar blow out the candles. We just tried to reason with a staff member, but she said we were bullying her and told us to leave, saying she was going to call the police.”

When police arrived, they realized no laws were being broken and no one was in danger, so no action was taken. A police spokesman said, “Officers established the dispute was over the level of service received and advice was given to all involved.”