Last updated at 17:11 07 December 2007

A young mother was told to leave a college study group along with her sleeping baby - because she was a health and saftey risk.

Liz Cooper, 25, and five-month-old Dominca Jimenez, were at an evening group study session in the college's library and IT room when security staff asked her to leave.

The mother-of-two, who is studying in the evening for a degree in early years health, was told the decision was made on health and safety grounds because of dust, temperature and hard-edged surfaces.

Ms Cooper, from Darwen, Lancs, said staff at St Mary's College in Blackburn had supported her when she was pregnant and had told her she could take the baby in with her for short periods.

But now she said she had been been told that she can only have Dominica with her in the breast-feeding room or the baby-changing facilities.

Sarah Flanagan, spokeswoman for the college, said the decision was made on health and safety grounds.

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Ms Cooper said: "The breast-feeding facilities are all well and good, but if I can't take her onto the rest of the site, what is the point? I'm not going to take her to college just to feed her.

"It's not as if I was in a lecture at the time, it was a small study group. The college accommodates people will all sorts of disabilities and other learning needs, so why not mums?

"The college is saying that the problem is health and safety, because of dust, temperature and hard-edged surfaces, but that's exactly the same as you would find in a supermarket at home or anywhere else, so I don't see the problem.

"She was asleep and quiet and I was carrying her in a sling so she wasn't disturbing anyone. If she had woken up and cried I would have immediately left the room.

"I was very embarrassed and upset - they called me away from my group and asked me to leave. It was absolute madness and I was made to feel like a criminal.

"I was working in a group of four people and there were only another four people there - they weren't being disturbed either.

"It seems like I have to be either a student or a mum and I can't be both."

Ms Cooper usually leaves the baby with her partner Fior Angel Jimenez while she is in classes. She said she would now have to find babysitters every time she needed to use the library for quick pieces of work and her husband was unavailable, disrupting the little girl's routine.

Zara Guest, who was studying with Ms Cooper, said: "Dominica was asleep in her sling and not causing any trouble. It's a real shame that they reacted like that.

"They should use a bit of common sense - there was no-one about."

The spokeswoman said Ms Cooper had been given permission to take Dominica into college with her for short visits, but guidance from the Health and Safety Executive meant they could not allow the baby in the library or other areas.

She said: "We are also conscious of the noise disruption that a baby may inadvertently cause to these study areas.

"Liz was given the opportunity to finish her task at the computer and then left.

"We are confident that our reception and Higher Education staff have behaved with the utmost professionalism and are disappointed that Elizabeth feels otherwise.

"Earlier this week we wrote to Elizabeth to reaffirm our offer of breastfeeding facilities and invited her to discuss this matter with the principal, Kevin McMahon."

Cllr Maureen Bateson, a former chairman of Blackburn and Darwen's children's services committee, said the college should be more flexible and come up with a compromise.

"I sympathise with Ms Cooper - I know it's difficult to juggle motherhood and studies and I hope the college can find some better way of working with her," she said.