A BREAST-FEEDING survey today 'named and shamed' local stores for their poor treatment of mothers and babies.

Debenhams, McDonald's and Asda were all given black marks in the investigation by staff at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, which criticised the poor breast-feeding amenities in general in the area's town centres.

It highlighted several premises which mums found to be sub-standard.

One mum who was breast-feeding her baby in Debenhams in Blackburn said she was asked to move by staff after complaints by members of the public.

Others named included McDonald's where mums were told to breast-feed in the toilet and Asda in Accrington which had poor facilities.

The survey was carried out during National Breast-feeding Week in May when questionnaires were given to young mums by midwives and health visitors. More than 100 forms were returned.

Some premises were praised for having good facilities, including Mothercare in Accrington which had excellent feeding and changing facilities and Boots in Burnley which had a "very good room" available

The survey concluded: "The need for a better understanding of breast-feeding and acceptance of breast-feeding in public was identified.

"Mothers want areas where they would be welcome to breast-feed with better attitudes and more help from staff.

"A list of places where breast-feeding mothers would be welcome was requested. Many mums expressed the need for private facilities, separate from the toilet/nappy changing area where they could feed their babies. "Mothers want a pleasant environment to sit in. The need for cleanliness and comfortable chairs was identified."

Christine Hindle, midwifery manager for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said: "There should be more free and easy access for mums to breast-feed.

"It is difficult for a new mum to go into a town centre with her baby.

"By the time they get there, the baby will probably need feeding and they need a relaxed atmosphere to do that."

Nigel Stopher, manager at Debenhams, Blackburn, said: "If mums want to breast-feed in the store we don't say no. There are also plenty of rooms available for mothers who want privacy .

"I would be keen to discuss the results of the survey with the midwives in a bid to make improvements."

Phil Hamilton, manager of Asda in Accrington, said: "We have a separate baby changing room and within that there is a chair where women can sit and breast-feed if they want to.

"The room can be locked and I would guess that every Asda store in the country would have a separate baby changing room."

A spokesman for McDonald's said: "We are very disappointed by the results of the survey. The company policy is for managers to use their common sense and we do try and accommodate breast-feeding mums.

"If we are asked for a private facility, we offer the office or staff area for mums to breast-feed."

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