English fetish scene is oh so naughty but really terribly nice

LIFE is all about balance. Having recently attended a Mind Body Spirit exhibition — a plethora of alternative therapies, chakra realignments and general airy-fairy hippy-dippiness — it seems only right to check out some sex, decadence and fetish stuff.

So off I go to Erotica 2002 in London, which, according to its organisers, is "the largest adult lifestyle event in Europe".

Signs on the way in to the vast exhibition hall shout that Some People May Find Exhibits Offensive, No Public Nudity and Strictly Over 18s Only, but my first impression glancing down on the rows and rows of stands in front of a stage area is that it's just like an Ideal Homes exhibition, except with sex toys, fetish gear and assorted kinky paraphernalia instead of soft furnishings and matching curtains.