A MOTHER who caught her eight-month-old son after he fell from an arcade ride has criticised the amusement firm involved.

Courtney Motton, 23, from Southend, said she and her son, Arthur Collins, were at Electric Avenue on Southend seafront when the seatbelt reportedly came loose and the baby fell.

Miss Motton claims the belt was faulty but the firm claim it was not secured properly.

The video of the fall, which has been viewed more than 16,000 times, shows Arthur enjoying the ride before toppling out.

She said: “I strapped my son into the magic castle ride and while it was going round, the strap came undone and my son fell from a height.

“Lucky enough I caught him but he fell onto the pram and bashed his head.

“I went over to the staff to tell them what had happened and they were very unhelpful.

“They wouldn’t let me watch the CCTV but as they watched it I recorded it.

“They said I should have been supervising my child at all times and I was.

“If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have been able to catch him.”

She called Essex Police following the incident and officers attended but confirmed it was not a police matter.

Those in charge of the arcade claim the ride has been checked and there is no problem with it instead blaming the incident on the family.

The spokesman said: “The customer was using the ride and it is clearly marked up to say that children should be supervised.

“The women called the police as she felt we were not being helpful.

“We had technicians inspect the ride and we checked the baby was okay.

“The ride and baby were both fine.

“The police also inspected the ride for us and spoke to the mother.

“A man, believed to be the baby’s father, became aggressive and the police asked them to leave.

“We think she had not strapped the child into the ride correctly.”

However Miss Motton rejected the suggestion.

The mother-of-two said: “They were trying to pass the blame onto me.

“I have been going to this arcade for years as I live in the area but I won’t be going back again.

“It ruined the whole day as we had to spend too much time trying to sort it out.

“I also wanted to go home straight away after the incident.

“Police asked us to leave and I was being made to feel like a criminal when I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

The angry mother took to Facebook to share a video of her son on the ride and a recording of the CCTV at the arcade.

A spokesman for Essex Police confirmed officers attended the arcade on Saturday.