Scandinavian furniture giant Ikea has been fined £75,000 after a two-year-old boy had two of his fingers severed in a "traumatic" accident.
The child, who is now seven, was in the Milton Keynes store with his family in 2007 when he stepped on to the moving walkway. The two-year-old was holding his father's hand but slipped and fell, trapping his index and middle finger in a small gap between the skirting and tread.
His two fingers were severed; one rolled down the travelator while the other was never found. The boy was rushed to hospital and both fingers were amputated halfway down.
Ikea was charged with a breach of general duty at work, as the gap was bigger than the 4mm maximum standard, an offence which the company originally disputed. The chain claimed the travelator had been tested by Liftserve just days before but Ikea then changed its plea to guilty.
Carole Reddish, acting country manager for Ikea UK said outside Aylesbury Crown Court: "We are saddened that an incident occurred in our Milton Keynes store in 2007 whereby a young child was injured on an in-store travelator.
"IKEA’s own investigation and that undertaken by Milton Keynes Council has highlighted a number of important issues which we have acted on, seeking to ensure this type of accident could never happen again."
A spokesman for Milton Keynes council added: "This was obviously a very traumatic injury for a young child, just days before his third birthday, but we hope the outcome of today’s court case will help him and his family move on."
Ikea will pay 25% of the fine while Liftserve will pay the remaining 75%. The family was also awarded damages but the amount has not been disclosed.