Breastfeeding mums stage protest in Greggs at Westwood Cross, Broadstairs

Mums and their babies performed a peaceful protest in Greggs after a customer was told she could not breastfeed her child inside.

Rebecca Reeve and her partner were horrified when workers at the Westwood Cross branch told her to find a bench or a public toilet.

She took to social media to speak out about the incident - which happened on February 16 - and outraged local mothers rallied around her, organising a public demonstration.

It took place on Saturday (February 22) and was attended by about eight mums and their children.

Greggs has apologised to Miss Reeve and has said breastfeeding is welcomed in all its stores.

The 23-year-old from Birchington told KentOnline: “It was lovely to have all those breastfeeding mums, their partners and other women there to support me after my awful experience at Greggs.

“The protest was very peaceful and was more just a group of mums feeding our babies - which was well within our rights, and it was lovely to meet new people and learn about their experiences with breastfeeding and being a mum.”

The event was organised by another parent - Lauren Skye Rose - and lasted about an hour and a half.

Greggs gave a free baked treat to the breastfeeding mums along with a bottle of water, and Westwood Cross gave them a tote bag and some breast pads.

The mum-of-one added: “I spoke with Sarah, the regional manager, who asked me how it was going and she thought it was a lovely idea what we were doing.

“It was a lovely day where we could all get our message across and show people in the restaurant that we are protected by law to feed our babies in public.”

The firm has confirmed to KentOnline that this is not company policy, the store staff’s instructions were not correct and customers are “welcome” to breastfeed in the chain’s branches.

All staff are set to receive a reminder of the law surrounding breastfeeding.

A Greggs spokesperson stated: “Customers are welcome to breastfeed in our shops.

“We have been in close contact with the customer and are working with our shop teams as a matter of urgency to ensure this does not happen again.”

The Equality Act states it is sex discrimination to treat a woman unfavourably when breastfeeding.

The act also stresses it is illegal to ask anyone breastfeeding their child to leave a public place, such as a cafe, shop or public transport.