A mum has told of her dismay after she was asked to leave a Tesco store – because her six-year-old son wasn't wearing a top.
A security guard at the store in Braintree, Essex, approached Paula Seaborn and bare-chested son Harry as they walked to the toy aisle so that the youngster could spend his pocket money.
The guard said Harry had to cover up or leave the store.
Paula said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. He was so warm he didn't want a T-shirt. He's six years old.
"He goes to the park like that all the time. I just can't see any harm in it."
She said: "He was upset. He didn't really understand because he's been in other shops without a top, actually he's been in Tesco before without one."
Describing what happened, Paula said: "We literally walked through the door, past the checkouts and towards the toy aisle because my boy wanted to choose a toy with the money he had. I heard someone come up behind us and say, 'Excuse me'.
"When I turned around it was the security lady and she asked me to leave.
"I said 'Why? I haven't done anything' and she said 'Because your son hasn't got a T-shirt on. Unless he puts something on I'm going to have to ask you to leave'.
"I explained we didn't have anything with us and she just kept saying 'It's company policy'. "I said 'He's only six', but she said it didn't matter."
Harry was allowed to choose a toy but Paula had to take her son outside to wait with her husband Colin, 43, while she went back inside and paid.
She now plans to make a formal complaint to the company.
A Tesco spokesman said: 'We do usually ask that all customers are clothed when shopping, including children, but on this occasion we were happy to let our customer and her son finish choosing a toy before paying and leaving, which our customer seemed happy with at the time."