A security guard attempted to ban a five-year-old boy from entering a Tesco store because he was pushing a wheeled walking aid.
Mason – who is autistic and has a rare genetic disorder which affects his mobility – was stopped at the entrance to the store in Osterley, west London.
His seven months pregnant mum Sarah, 29, told The Sun that the guard said they could not bring the walking frame into the shop.
But despite the security officer telling her 'You're not allowed in with that - it's got wheels' she and her young son chose to ignore him, and entered the store in order to buy a cake for her mother's birthday.
"I was completely taken aback. I explained to him that my son needed to use it to walk but he wouldn't budge. It was unbelievable," the outraged mum said.
"When Mason walks with the aid, you can see he's not having fun on it - it's clearly not a toy. I had to control the urge to burst into tears."
Sarah added the security guard did not attempt to stop her and Mason once she was in the store, so she carried on with her shopping.
She has now complained to Tesco about the incident.
"He could have come up to me and addressed what happened - or just have said sorry to Mason," she said, adding that she and her husband Titus, 34, were still waiting for an apology from the store.
"If someone called me back within an hour and just said sorry for what's happened, I might have forgiven them. All I wanted is an apology for my son," she said.
Tesco later said the guard had mistaken Mason's red frame for a scooter or bicycle and said they
'apologise sincerely' for the misunderstanding. They also claimed their security guard had done so at the scene.
"As soon as he realised it was a mobility aid, he apologised and welcomed the customer and her son into the store," the spokesman said.