Shoes on wheels are proving a nightmare for shopping malls around the country, even being banned by some centres during the festive shopping rush.

The shoes, called "Heelys" (takkies fitted with removable wheels), can cost R850 or more, but imitations sell for much less. Children regard them as must-have accessories and use shopping malls as "tracks" to skate across because of their large, open floor space.

Sandton City in Gauteng has printed warning cards to serve on parents whose children are caught "heeling".

"These cards are the size of a business card and say, 'Sorry, no wheels under your heels!' For the safety of everyone, no heeling, skate-boarding, rollerblading, rollerskating or cycling are allowed in Sandton City Shopping Centre and Nelson Mandela Square," said manager Gary Vipond.

He said two accidents involving the shoes had already been reported at the mall.

Two of the Western Cape's shopping centres, Canal Walk and Tyger Valley, said "heeling" was now banned.

However, at Gateway shopping centre in KwaZulu-Natal, children are still free to ride the corridors.

"We haven't had any problems. We find that, especially at our mall, 99.9% of children are accompanied by their parents, who tend to have a fair amount of control over them," said Lisa Sukdev, public relations manager for the shopping mall.

Sunday Times