A woman who broke her tooth after biting into a plastic decoration on a cake from Greggs says staff should be made to warn all customers of the danger they pose.
Gwendoline 'Gwen' Lamb visited a Greggs store before Easter, and bought a tuna salad sandwich, cup of tea and a cupcake.
But as ChronicleLive reports, after biting into the Easter-themed cake, Gwen was horrified to find two of her teeth had cracked after she'd bitten a plastic ring she had assumed was icing.
The following day Gwen was devastated when her front tooth fell out and she was forced to search for an emergency dental appointment to fix the tooth, which set her back £40.
She said: "I went to buy my lunch and bought a tuna sandwich and got a little fairy cake.
"I took a bite and thought it was just icing but it was a plastic ring. I was horrified.
"Two of my teeth were cracked. The next day one of them fell out and I had to go to rush to the dentist before Easter weekend.
"It cost me £40 to have my teeth fixed and £10 in phone calls and I think they should reimburse that.
"I made a complaint and got a £20 gift voucher but that is not enough. It is a disgrace."
After complaining to staff at the counter, she was told there were safety warnings around the shop and on the bags.
But Gwen, who lives in Middlesbrough, said it is not enough.
She said: "There was tiny little sign on the counter and they said it was written on the bags - who is going to read there?
"There is a warning that it isn't suitable for children under 36 months. Well, I'm a grown woman. It is a choking hazard for children."
"Staff should be made to warn customers," Gwen said.
"When I said this to them in the shop they said they didn't have to do that," she said.
"It is outrageous. Staff should have to tell customers and it should be clearly displayed. They only have to say two words to save a child's life. People should know what the plastic is - it is not icing for Easter."
A spokesperson for Greggs said: “We were sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident and have been in regular contact with the customer on this matter.
"We have clear warnings inside our shops and also on our packaging to advise customers that all toys and decorations are non-edible.
"A gesture of good will has been offered and we really hope the customer will visit us again soon”
