A mother has claimed that babies' lives are being put at risk after a pram holding her six-week-old girl collapsed.

Louise Ford says her baby, Alice Burton, was in the pram when it collapsed due to a missing nut.

Alice's grandmother says the child could have been killed in the incident and blames the pram company Tutti Bambini.

The mother bought the push chair from Argos in The Shambles, Worcester, about three weeks before it collapsed and now wants more checks on prams.

Miss Ford said: “I was quite worried about Alice and very upset. Luckily she wasn’t hurt as I was holding it.

“I think Tutti Bambini need to check the standard of the push chairs before they go out. It’s children’s lives they put at risk.

“The screw was in there but the lock nut wasn’t on there. It was missing from when we bought it. We didn’t notice at first."

The 26-year-old said a screw freely came out of the frame which holds the handle bar part of the frame and the wheel part of the frame.

The pram broke on Thursday, September 8, when the mother was walking to the car parked outside her home in Severn Stoke.

“The wheel part of the frame pushed up, meaning the carry crate just folded in,” she said.

The mother-of-two says it was lucky that they were in their cul-de-sac when the pram collapsed, and not on a busy road.

“A lot of people speed round here. What if she had fallen into the main road?” she said.

She found the screw in the basket underneath the wheelchair and said Argos had been more than helpful with her complaint.

The pram had only been used a couple of times and was bought just a couple of days before Alice was born, according to the mother.

She said the delivery of a replacement push chair frame had been delayed by a week.

Janice Hobby-Ford, Alice's grandmother, who lives in Thomas Baxter Close, Worcester, said: “Babies' lives are at risk out there.

"This grandchild of mine could have been killed. That’s a child’s life that could have been killed.

"My daughter is in bits. She [Alice] could have fallen out and into the road. It collapsed on her.

"The side bolt was very important. It holds everything more-or-less together. I blame Tutti Bambini.

"I think Argos should get in touch with them. Between both they should check every pram before it leaves the shop."

A Tutti Bambini spokesman said: “We are aware of the complaint. The pram in question has been replaced with a brand new chassis which the customer asked us to do and the customer has accepted.

“The customer did have the opportunity to return the item for refund if she was not happy with the product. We have not been notified of any injury by the customer.

“We also confirm that our pushchairs have been tested and have passed all relevant European and British Safety standards.”

The spokesman said the customer service department were contacted on Friday, September 9 and the replacement frame was delivered on Saturday, September 19.

A spokesman for Argos said: "The safety of our products and customers is our top priority, so we are grateful that the complaint concerning a Tutti Bambini pram has been brought to our attention.

"We are keen to investigate this as a matter of urgency and will be able to provide an update as soon as we have recovered the product from the customer."