Mum ‘told to cover up as she fed her daughter in Costa coffee because it offended another customer’

A “SHOCKED” mum claims Costa Coffee staff told her to cover up while breastfeeding – as it OFFENDED another customer.

Rosey Hughes was at the cafe in Streford Mall, Manchester with a friend when staff told her to stop feeding her five-month-old daughter after the other customer complained.

The mum-of-two, who says she was feeding “discreetly”, refused to leave the shop until her daughter Zoe was finished.

Her friend Jenny Appleby lodged a complaint with the chain after Rosey was told to cover up at around 2pm yesterday by a female member of staff.

The store has launched an investigation into the “shocking” incident.

Rosey, a scientist, who also has 14-month-old son Daniel, said: “We were just sat as normal having a coffee and we were told someone had complained about me.

“I was asked to cover up but I was no more exposed than I usually am when feeding. I was really taken aback by it.

“It was a bit of a shock and I went a bit quiet but Jenny spoke up for me and told the staff they had no right to ask that of me.

“I didn’t know what to say. I’m quite a confident breastfeeder as Zoe is my second child but this really took me by surprise.”

Rosey says she has never had issues before, adding: “I was surprised staff acted because of a complaint with one customer.

“Surely they staff should have just told the customer to sit elsewhere if they weren’t comfortable?”
 The mum says she “pretty much ignored” the member of staff’s request and “carried on”.

She added: “The girl who worked there kept saying she understood me, but if she understood then why ask me to cover up?

“If that was someone who was totally new to breastfeeding they might have felt really intimidated and be put off doing it again, but we can’t pick and choose when our children need a feed.”

Rosey, who lives with husband Michael in Old Trafford, said she was determined not to let the incident stop her breastfeeding in public.

Pregnant mum-of-one Jenny, who was with Rosey at the time, was left fuming by the incident.

She said: “I’m not sure how a customer could have seen anything at all, but even so Rosey wasn’t doing anything wrong.

“This one has only just opened in May so we thought we’d try it out. Hopefully it’s just a mistake because it’s a new one.

“My response was just: ‘You can’t ask her to do that!’ We’ve been to other Costa Coffees and its been fine.”

The 35-year-old added: “I basically told her Rosey wouldn’t be covering up and she was breaking the law by telling her to do so. I was fuming.”

In England and Wales, the right to breastfeed in public is covered by The Equality Act 2010, which means businesses cannot discriminate against women feeding a child of any age.

A spokesperson for Costa Coffee said: “Mothers bring in children of all ages to Costa and they are always warmly welcomed by us.

“We have always been very happy for mothers to breastfeed in our stores and for all those who prefer a more private area, we offer baby changing facilities.

“Costa is renowned for its family friendly environment and is the perfect place for mum’s to relax with their children.

“Our staff will also warm bottles for mothers, deliver drinks to their tables and go out of their way to accommodate families.

“We have reached out via our social channels to speak to the customer in question and have launched an investigation into this matter.

“We’d like to assure customers that this incident does not reflect our breastfeeding friendly policy.”

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.