A MOTHER has described how a family trip turned into "a day from hell" after her toddler son pricked his finger on a discarded needle in a Wetherspoon restaurant.

Amy Bate said two-year-old Oscar was hurt after crawling under a table at The Glass House in St Helens on Sunday.

He picked up something that looked like a lid and cried "ouch".

Writing on Facebook, Amy stated: "Panic struck I ripped it off him and looked and lo and behold: a needle. It had stabbed his finger.

"Who the hell dumps used dirty needles under a table in a family pub where there are kids?

"We have spent the last few hours in hospital having to go through the stress of our son having blood tests and vaccines done for hepatitis and HIV!

"He now has to have repeat blood tests in another three months and then six months and more vaccines.

"I am absolutely livid! My child has been so distressed and is so not fair!

"These things just should never happen. As I say who uses a needle then dumps it under a table in a family pub!

I am so angry and upset that our little boy has had to go through this and been put at risk! I'm praying all these tests come back negative. What an absolutely horrible day! My poor baby boy.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “The manager at the pub and the company apologise wholeheartedly to the lady and her family.

“This is a horrible incident and obviously shouldn’t happen.

“The lady and her child shouldn’t have had to go through the trauma of having an HIV test at the hospital.

“The manager at the pub would like to offer the lady a £50 gift card for use at the pub.

“This in no way underestimates the situation that she faced.”

Kat Smithson, director of policy and campaigns at NAT (National AIDS Trust) said: “There have been no cases anywhere in the world of somebody contracting HIV through a needle stick injury from a needle discarded in a public place.

“The problem of discarded needles is a concern for many people who would like public places to be safe and pleasant, particularly for children. At the same time, it is important to reassure the public regarding HIV risk.

"HIV can be transmitted through the direct sharing of injecting drug equipment, however, HIV is a very delicate virus that does not survive outside the body well and therefore risk from a discarded needle is extremely low.

“Additionally, HIV prevalence amongst people who inject drugs is very low in the UK due to effective harm reduction programmes.”

Note: Oscar was not allowed to play under the table at the restaurant, being two-years-old he crawled under the table for a couple of seconds - which is when he found and hurt himself on the needle.