A mother who was ordered by Claridge's staff to cover up while breastfeeding her 12-week-old baby has hit back at controversial comments made by Nigel Farage, saying it is 'really unacceptable' to ask a woman to sit in the corner.

Mother-of-three Lou Burns, 35, was left humiliated after staff at the five-star Mayfair hotel gave her a giant napkin to cover up as she fed her daughter Isadora during afternoon tea.

Mr Farage later waded into the debate, suggesting mothers of newborn babies should avoid being 'openly ostentatious' when breastfeeding and might think about sitting in a corner when doing so.

He even defended the Mayfair hotel, saying that each establishment should be able to impose their own rules about when and where breastfeeding should be done.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said many people feel 'very, very embarrassed' when they see a child being breastfed, and cafes and restaurants should be free to impose rules about how and where it should be done

But Ms Burns said this afternoon: ‘I don’t think it is appropriate to suggest women should hide away when they are breastfeeding. To ask someone to sit in the corner is really unacceptable.

‘We need to get away from the idea that it is somehow shameful to feed a baby. It is not something people should be ashamed of or offended by - it is a mother feeding her child.

‘I do not know why breastfeeding and bad manners are being tied together. If someone is offended they can look away, they do not have to look.’

The Ukip leader had suggested that many people feel 'very, very embarrassed' when they see a child being breastfed.

He defended the hotel's right to tell customers how to behave, saying: 'Frankly that's up to Claridges. I very much take the view that if you are running an establishment you should have rules.'

And, when asked if women should be told to go a toilet to breastfeed, Mr Farage replied: 'Or perhaps sit in a corner or whatever it might be. That's up to Claridges.'

His comments sparked fury, with many Twitter users suggesting that Mr Farage himself should 'hide in the corner' over his 'outrageous' stance.

Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts also added that it was 'bemusing' for anyone to think of breastfeeding as 'ostentatious'.

But as the backlash over his comments grew, the outspoken MP attempted to play down the controversy by insisting he did not 'personally endorse' women perhaps sitting in a corner.

Given some people very, very embarrassed by it, it isn't too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious

However, in a statement released through Twitter to clarify his position, Mr Farage still maintained it was up to each establishment to decide on their own rules.

Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Farage had said others should take account of other people's views when deciding where to breastfed.

He said: 'I am not particularly bothered about it, but I know a lot of people do feel very uncomfortable.

'Look, this is just a matter of common sense. I think that given some people very, very embarrassed by it, it isn't too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious.'

The controversial remarks come at a time when more women are being encouraged to breastfeed, with a new study suggesting that continuing to do so until babies are 18 months old could save the NHS £40million.

The government argues that breastfeeding has 'huge health benefits for mother and baby', particularly vulnerable babies in neonatal and special care baby units.

A report by a team of researchers led by Brunel University has suggested that the NHS could save millions by enoucraging women to breastfeed for longer, reducing common childhood illnesses and also cutting the risk of women developing breast cancer over their lifetime, which is said to be linked to low rates of breastfeeding.

Mr Farage faced a backlash after claiming people in the 'older generation feel awkward and embarrassed about' seeing women breastfeeding

Upset: Lou Burns, 35, was breastfeeding her 12-week-old baby (left) at the luxury Claridge's hotel in Mayfair when waiters told her to cover up with a large napkin (right) to avoid 'causing offence' to fellow guests

However, on its website, the NHS says: 'You shouldn't ever be made to feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public. In fact, the Equality Act 2010 has made it illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place such as a cafe, shop or public transport.

He added: 'It is not an issue that I get terribly hung up about but I know particularly people of the older generation feel awkward and embarrassed about it.'

MOTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO STOP BREASTFEEDING IN PUBLIC Mothers who staged a mass breastfeeding protest at a Sports Direct store in Nottingham in support for Wioletta Komar, who claims she was asked to leave the premises for breastfeeding her son According to the Equality Act of 2010, it is discriminatory to treat a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding. However, in September a breastfeeding mother claimed today that she was ordered to cover up with a dirty dishcloth while joining friends for a breakfast. Olivia Pozniak, a single 25-year-old, was feeding her 11-week-old son Louie at the Furze Wren pub owned by J D Wetherspoon in Bexleyheath, Kent, when she was told to cover up. Meanwhile in August Natasha Barnett, 29, from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, was told by a lifeguard at Middleton Pool that she could not breastfeed her five-month-old daughter Olive because it was 'classed as eating and drinking'. In June, a mother was asked to sit in a corner by a waitress while breastfeeding her son - to keep her away from schoolchildren eating in the same restaurant. Carrie Davies, 27, was left feeling 'embarrassed and ashamed' after staff at Global Buffet in Cardiff suggested she move while feeding her four-month-old son Trystan. Ms Davies, who was lunching with a friend, was offered a spot by the restaurant's toilets, which bosses at the restaurant say was more 'convenient' for her in light of a large school party who had started eating there. It comes after around 70 women descended on Sports Direct in Nottingham city centre in April to show support for 25-year-old Wioletta Komar, who claimed she was kicked out of the premises earlier this year for breastfeeding her three-month-old son. She claims a member of staff suddenly marched over and told her that breastfeeding mothers were not welcome because of 'company policy'. The sales assistant then told her that the store had no facilities for her and suggested she should go to McDonald's which had a baby and mother room. Advertisement

After his comments were published, people took to Twitter to express their outrage.

David May tweeted Mr Farage asking: 'you are aware that the 2010 Equality Act means establishments CAN'T make rules about breastfeeding? Stop talking and apologise!'

User John wrote: I'm embarrassed by @Nigel_farage. Can't he sit in a corner of the UK, far out of the way?'

Nina Light wrote: 'Summing up, it's up 2 businesses 2 disregard the country's law as suits them.Hooray 4 right wing libertarians.'

While Claire Lyman wrote: 'Doesn't Nigel Farage know nobody puts baby in a corner? #ostentatiousbreastfeeding'.

But, this afternoon, Mr Farage remained defiant over the furore and claimed that he had been misquoted.

He wrote: 'What I said was... and it is immensely frustrating that I have to explain this... is that if the establishment in question, in this case Claridges, wants to maintain rules about this stuff, then that is up to them, as it should be.

'I remarked that perhaps they might ask women to sit in a corner.'

He continued: 'Did I say I believe they should have to? No. Did I say I personally endorse this concept? No.

'We do however have to recognise that businesses have a responsibility to all of their customers, some of whom may well be made uncomfortable by public breastfeeding.

'It’s a two-way street: breastfeeding women should never be embarrassed by staff asking them to stop, and most mums will recognise the need to be discreet in certain, limited, circumstances.

'It just a question of good manners, and in this case, accurate journalism.'

But he faced an immediate backlash today.

Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts said: 'It's bemusing that some people have a problem seeing mums breastfeeding.

'It is of course a natural, essential human process and those with an issue simply need to get over themselves - babies need to be fed when they're hungry, and there's nothing ostentatious about a mother responding to that need.'

Downing Street left no doubt that David Cameron disagreed with Mr Farage's comments, saying that it was 'totally unacceptable' for mothers to be made to feel uncomfortable when feeding their babies in public.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: 'It's for Mr Farage to explain his views.

'The Prime Minister shares the view of the NHS, which is that breast-feeding is completely natural and it's totally unacceptable for any women to be made to feel uncomfortable when breast-feeding in public.'

And Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper on Twitter: 'After 'that' interview, Nigel Farage should sit in a corner!'

After the storm erupted over Mrs Burns' treatment, a Claridge's spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are saddened to see what is being discussed and we feel we need to clarify that breastfeeding is of course embraced at Claridge's.

'All we ask is that mothers are discrete towards other guests.'

Mrs Burns, who is married to comedy actor Nick Burns, took her mother, sister and daughter Isadora to Claridge's art deco Foyer for afternoon tea on Monday.

She said: 'It was an annual treat that we have at Christmas time. We've been there before and we've loved it. My mother had travelled all the way down from Birmingham.

'We sat down and I started to feed her very discreetly, but within moments of us sitting down, the waiter came over.

'He had this big napkin in his hand and he said he was sorry but it was company policy for feeding mothers to cover themselves, and could I cover myself with this.'

Seeing that she was visibly upset by their actions, they called their manager – who again confirmed the policy.

Mrs Burns said the baby was not comfortable with the napkin over its head and was not able to feed properly.

Finally the management said she could continue without it as long as there were no complaints from anyone else.

She said the hotel knocked some money off the bill and apologised for upsetting her.

But she added: 'I just told them I was so offended, and so humiliated. I've been here quite a few times and I thought it was somewhere you could sit down and breast feed and not be bothered.

'You couldn't see anything while I was feeding, because I had a vest underneath my jumper. No-one complained.

'Women are under so much pressure to breastfeed and it's not easy. I've had two other children that I've struggled to breast feed and I think women should be more supported, especially when they are trying not to draw attention to themselves.

'I told them I couldn't see myself coming back.'

Embarrassed: Mrs Burns, who was dining with her mother, sister and 12-week old daughter Isadora, said she was left so embarrassed by the incident that she would never return to the five star hotel

The row comes after a cafe owner in Surrey was forced to apologise last month for putting a sign in its window telling mothers they should breastfeed in the toilets.

Tillings Cafe came under fire after a customer posted a picture of the notice - which informs customers they can use the disabled toilet if they want to breastfeed their babies - on Twitter.

But the family-owned coffee shop in Gomshall, Surrey was forced to remove the sign after the National Childbirth Trust, the UK's largest parenting charity, asked for it to be taken down.

Owner June Radford said the sign had been a 'huge miscommunication'.

She said: 'We have had many happy breastfeeding mums in our cafe in the three years we have been open and we continue to support breastfeeding.

In October, Facebook was forced to reinstated a picture of a mother breastfeeding her severely premature baby for the first time after it was removed from the site because it 'breached nudity rules'

Emma Bond, 24, posted the picture of herself with Carene, who was born 12 weeks early, but soon found it had been removed after it had been deemed 'offensive'.

Meanwhile in September, breastfeeding mother Olivia Pozniak claimed she was forced to cover up with a dirty dishcloth while joining friends for breakfast at a Wetherspoon pub in Bexleyheath.

In June 27-year-old Carrie Davies says she was left feeling 'embarrassed and ashamed' after staff at Global Buffet in Cardiff suggested she move while feeding her four-month-old son.