A BREASTFEEDING mother says she was left upset and unhappy with her treatment by bistro staff who asked her to go into another room.

Jo Sale, of Harvington, went into Café Violette – which was empty at the time – and asked if she could breastfeed six month- old Nelly.

Mrs Sale said: “I asked the lady if it was all right to use a particular table as I needed to feed my daughter, and she asked if I’d be breastfeeding.

“I said I would. And she said, ‘No we won’t allow you to do that her, it’ll have to be in the back room’. I said, ‘Forget it’ and walked out. She did say it was the café owner’s policy but I thought I’m not going to bother spending my money.”

Mrs Sale then took her daughter out to the car to feed her. She said: “I’ve never had a problem before in places like Costa and Starbucks.

“It upset me because it’s the first time ever that it has happened – I don’t see why it’s a problem.”

Jan Rogers, who owns the restaurant, in Long Marston, said she was not anti-breastfeeding.

She said: “The salon has four or five tables and is for drinks only. The policy is anyone with drinks, breastfeeding or not, goes to the salon. We were getting ready to set up for a busy lunch service.

“She was not being treated like a second-class citizen. We have people who prefer the salon. It’s a lovely private dining room. There’s comfy chairs, art on the walls and a big window with sun streaming through.

Back room is not exactly what I would call it.

“Regrettably I wasn’t there. With nobody in there I would have probably made an exception and put her at the most discreet table. I do have to try balance the needs of customers and there are customers that are not happy with a breastfeeding mother.”

The Equality Act says cafés are not allowed to stop mums breastfeeding.