Mothers hit out after Street Fair incidents

Caden Togneri suffered a head injury after the hood over the teacups ride provided by M&D’s fell down and banged him on the head, sending him face first into the safety rail.

His mum, Louise McCluskey, said: “We didn’t expect when we tried to have a nice day out that we would end up spending two and a half hours at Wishaw General.

“Caden was left with a bruise on his forehead, but it could have been much worse, and he is now terrified of the rides. Just the mere mention of them sends him into a panic so I don’t know if I’ll ever get him to go on them again.

“To compound matters there wasn’t even a first aider available. Two men and a woman came up and said they were first aiders, but they didn’t have any stuff with them. That’s no way to run such an event and M&D’s haven’t even bothered to call me after I made a complaint.”

A spokesperson for M&D Events said: “A three-year old boy suffered a minor injury while on the teacups ride on Sunday.

“The ride was then closed and a full health and safety check was carried out before the ride re-opened.”

Another mum, Kelly Paterson, complained her mother was charged to accompany her disabled daughter on a ride at the Street Fair on Saturday.

She said: “I went into Motherwell with my four-year-old daughter Frankee, my mother and her husband. I asked my mum to take my wee girl on to a ride while I nipped into a few shops.

“I came back and my mum told me that she had been charged to accompany my daughter on the ride. Frankee has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk. She also has oxygen 24 hours a day, so we carry a portable oxygen cylinder with us while we are out.

“I was unable to talk to the ride operator about the matter as he simply replied that he did not speak English. I’m utterly appalled by the way we have been treated by M&D’s and I personally deem this as discrimination as my daughter is disabled.

“I think a family with a child who has no choice but to be accompanied by an adult should not be penalised for trying to give the child as normal a life as possible in letting her go on such rides, regardless if it was £2 or £2,000.”

Kelly turned down free passes for M&D’s rides at Bellshill Street Fair later this month.

A spokesperson for M&D Events said: “Our operators are told to use their discretion when charging any adults who want to ride with children.

“Unfortunately, on this occasion the adult was charged in error and we have sincerely apologised to the customers involved.”