A MOTHER has criticised a leading High Street retailer after her three-year-old son suffered facial injuries in its Basildon store.

Cayden Sheldrake suffered cuts below his eye and on his nose after walking into an empty storage pole, which was sticking out of a display stand in BHS in Town Square.

Mum Claire Walker, 25, of Tangham Walk, Basildon, took Cayden and his brother, Ethan, five, to buy slippers at the sales and they were approaching the tills when the accident happened.

Cayden was bleeding and crying and staff from the store provided first aid by giving the toddler an ice pack and antiseptic wipes.

Miss Walker said staff told her the bar had been holding pillows, but the stock had all been purchased so it was empty.

She described the poles as an “accident waiting to happen” and claims they were dangerous due to their height and the edge of the circular cap on the end being too sharp.

She said: “They shouldn’t be so close to the till or at eye level for children.

“If he’d been half a centimetre smaller it could have hit his eye and blinded him."

Cayden visited a doctor yesterday to have his injuries looked at and Miss Walker is going to issue a formal complaint about the incident to BHS.

A spokeswoman for BHS said the chain would review the fixtures in its stores following the incident.

She said: “This is a very exceptional and unfortunate incident.

“BHS has a strict health and safety code, where the staff must monitor all the fixtures and ensure there are no hazardous retailing environments.

“We strive to ensure that we always offer a safe retail environment for our customers and as such, we will review our current fixtures in light of this incident.”