Spiderman will not be seen by children under 12 in the borough, that was the conclusion reached by Croydon council who decided not to give it PG status because of its violent content.

Croydon councillors on the licensing committee made their decision after watching the comic book super hero swing into action at Warner Brothers cinema in the Grants complex.

The British Board of Film Classification, BBFC, had considered granting the film a 15 certification before giving the film a 12 rating and had given the committee rating guidelines and a copy of its adjudication report.

Licensing Committee Cabinet member Alex Burridge told the Guardian:

"We watched the film straight through and did not read the adjudication report until after we'd seen it.

"There was one scene where a man was pushed through a window but he didn't bleed. The film had that air of unreality I can easily see kids trying to copy the scenes without realising the danger."

July 17, 2002 11:30