'˜Furious' mum hits out at pub after being told to '˜cover up' while breastfeeding

Author Judith Barnes attended a family reunion at The Knights’ Table in Quarnford, near Buxton, when she says she was told to cover up while breastfeeding her eight-month-old daughter.

The mum, 31, said she was sat in a discreet corner of the restaurant area in a booth behind a wooden partition and was surrounded by 30 members of her own family.

It is illegal for a business to discriminate against mums who wish to breastfeed.

The pub says it has no issue with breastfeeding and says she was not told to stop.

“I was furious because I was embarrassed,” Judith told the Advertiser.

“It really shocked me in this day and age that this could happen.

“I was humiliated. I lost my appetite, gathered up my children, and we left.”

After the incident on Sunday, February 19 the Staffordshire-based writer took to Twitter to express her anger and received dozens of responses in support.

One woman replied: “So sorry to hear that. That’s infuriating. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

One man wrote: “Disgusting. They should be thoroughly ashamed.”

Another woman posted: “Excuse me? Absolutely disgusting.”

In response, joint owners of The Knights’ Table, Alan Stanway and Carol Knight, said they did not ask Judith to cover up because she was breastfeeding but because they did not want her to get any unwanted attention as in their opinion she was in view of the bar area.

“We are perfectly aware of the law around breastfeeding,” Alan said.

“We have not got a problem with it and we have women breastfeeding in the pub everyday.

“There was another member of the party breastfeeding and we had no issue with her.”