A mum claims she was forced to sit on the ground in the rain to feed her baby after being ordered to leave Starbucks.
Mum Jaime was out and about when her seven-month-old daughter needed a bottle so she decided to head into Starbucks to settle down and feed her.
The mum said she has sat in the coffee giant's shop on a previous occasion to feed her daughter Khaleesi-May, but this time, she claims the manager told her to leave.
The Grimsby Telegraph reports that staff in the Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire Starbucks initially told Jaime she could feed her baby, before a manager insisted she had to leave due to Tier 3 Covid restrictions.
Jaime says she then went to sit down on a bench in the town's shopping centre only to discover them taped off, to enforce social distancing.
She says she was then forced to sit on the floor to feed her hungry baby.
Under coronavirus rules hospitality venues like pubs, restaurants and cafes in Tier 3 areas can only serve delivery and takeaway.
The 22-year-old said: "My daughter got hungry as I was doing my Christmas shopping, and I knew the only place in town that might let me sit out of the rain to feed her was Starbucks.
"They had been more than happy to let me before, and I had previously sat in the corner with my mask on for 15 minutes while she had a bottle.
"Staff told me it was fine when I went in on Tuesday, but a few minutes later a manager came over and told me I would have to leave.
"He said that they were only allowed to have three customers in at once and no one could sit down, even though I was at the opposite end of the shop to anyone else.
"He said they could get a £1,000 fine if they didn't make me leave.
"There was nowhere else in town to go. I tried the Foundry, but all of the benches have been taped off.
"In the end, I just sat on the floor, and felt so sorry for Khaleesi-May. What else was I supposed to do?"
Jaime blasted the strict covid rules, saying they are making life impossible for mothers with young children like her when they are out shopping.
She said: "I understand there are rules to stop Covid, but what about the human rights of mothers and children?
"I feel awful for anyone else this has happened to.
"I don't want to stop going out and about, but I'm not sure what my options are when my daughter gets hungry."
A spokesperson for Starbucks told the Grimbsy Telegraph said that employees at the coffee shop had been working hard to create a warm and welcoming environment throughout the pandemic.
They said that staff had informed Jaime she wouldn't be able to feed in the shop in future, rather than asking her to leave then.
They said they were very sorry to hear that she'd been upset by the experience, and that they tried to use common sense to implement the rules on a case by case basis.
