Asked to leave: Mother Lindsay Robinson, 36

A mother said she was left feeling 'embarrassed' after she was asked to leave John Lewis when customers complained because her toddler was having a tantrum.

Lindsay Robinson, 36, was shopping with a friend at the store's Trafford Centre branch in Dumplington, Greater Manchester, when her 16-month-old daughter, Heidi, started being 'loud and vocal'.

But while Ms Robinson was trying to calm her daughter down, a menswear employee approached and asked her to leave the shop.

She said: 'He said to me, "I'm afraid we've had a complaint, you will have to leave". I was shocked.

'I dropped a key ring and rucksack for Heidi that I was about to buy, and this staff member escorted us out of the store. I said to my friend, "Did that really happen?"'

The retailer denies that she was escorted out of the shop.

The mother, from Prestwich, Greater Manchester, said Heidi started 'losing the plot' during the trip on Saturday afternoon, when the store was packed with Mother's Day shoppers.

She said: 'Heidi has only just learned to walk, so I use a harness for her as she is a bit unsteady on her feet.

I was carrying her and she started to lose the plot. I was trying to put the harness back on and Heidi was loud and vocal.

'I was trying to do my best to calm her down, and get her harness on so she didn't crawl off. Then I was asked to leave. I felt quite upset.'

Ms Robinson later made a formal complaint to John Lewis customer services who apologised and acknowledged the staff member's behaviour was inappropriate.

Ms Robinson was also offered a £20 voucher as an apology but she said she 'wasn't interested' and that she didn't think she would return to that store.

She added: 'My point is that when shops see a mother trying to deal with a child having a tantrum they should cut them a bit of slack. I was made to feel like a rubbish mum.

'It was very embarrassing. Everyone was looking at me. It is a shame because I am a loyal customer. When I got married we had a wedding list of presents from there.'

Shopping trip: Ms Robinson was shopping with a friend at the retailer's Trafford Centre branch, pictured

A John Lewis spokesperson said: 'We are very sorry that Mrs Robinson was upset after visiting our shop.

'One of our department managers spoke to her on Saturday to apologise and to explain this clearly shouldn't have happened. Our head of branch has also written to formally apologise to the customer and arranged for a delivery of flowers.

'We are still investigating this incident with the Partner concerned but at this stage believe he didn’t escort Mrs Robinson out of the store, but he did ask her to leave in response to other customers’ complaints.