A first-time mum was left "totally shocked" and in tears when told she should "cover up" while breastfeeding in a Pret as "it's not really allowed".
Emma, from Reading, was with her nine-week-old baby girl Daisy when her daughter called to be fed.
She and her partner Joe decided to go to her local Pret in Reading's The Oracle, where she found a hidden corner near the toilets where she could breastfeed her newborn.
It was then that Emma noticed how the cafe's manager was watching her before going over to tell her partner she "would need to cover up and be discreet" as it "isn't really allowed", BerkshireLive reports.
Emma, who has only been out on few occasions since giving birth, said she was left in "total shock" over the comments at the Pret on July 28.
The new mum, who said she had breastfed during a meeting and no one had minded, said then turned her back to the cafe as she broke into tears and didn't want anyone to see her upset
She has now said there "needs to be more awareness, and better education around breastfeeding - not just in Pret but everywhere".
Emma added: "It's knocked my confidence a lot, breastfeeding is completely natural and if you haven't been a parent you might not know what it's like.
"I tried to contact Pret Customer Services but they almost brushed me off, it was as if they weren't taking it very seriously at all."
When she spoke about her experience in a local Facebook group for new mothers, Emma said she was overwhelmed by the support.
"Everyone in the groups has been so supportive and rightly so, outraged," she said.
"Having their support has definitely made me feel a lot better about the situation."
A statement to the Mirror by a Pret spokesperson says: “Women are absolutely free to breastfeed in our shops should they wish to. We have no special policy on this that would say otherwise.
"We’re so sorry for causing any confusion or unintended disrespect. We’ve apologised to the customer and are reminding our teams of our stance to avoid this happening again in the future.”
