A café has banned a customer who complained to the owner that "lunch was ruined" by a staff member using a breast pump.

The staff member was pumping at the Veg Box in Canterbury when a customer objected and complained.

The café defended the staff member on social media, saying their colleague was "shamed" by a "rude" customer who they don’t want to come back.

In a Facebook post, The Veg Box wrote last week: "Sadly one of our lovely members of staff was shamed by a rude customer for very discreetly pumping the other day.

"This is not okay and we continue to reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.

"If this was you, please don’t come back," the post concluded.

People showed their support of the café’s decision, with one writing: "Thank you for upholding the law and protecting your employee from discrimination, as per the equality act."

Another wrote: "There is nothing more natural than a mother feeding their baby – just like adults need to eat, so do babies."

Owner of the café, Liz Child, wanted to defend her colleague’s right to breastfeed in a public place, according to Yahoo Style, as per the the Equality Act 2010.

"Everyone should feel comfortable breastfeeding, and in any form this takes, everywhere. The member of staff had just returned from maternity leave and was pumping in the corner," she said on social media, Yahoo Style reported .

"It was very discreet, she was covered and no one could see anything. But the customer complained it had ruined her lunch and walked out.

"She came back the following day, when I told her that we would not tolerate our staff being humiliated like that and asked her not to return."

Although women have the right to breastfeed in public, the topic is still divisive and some people commented to say they didn’t agree with it at all.

One wrote: "Bodily fluids don’t belong where other people are eating."

Mirror Online has contacted the Veg Box café for comment.

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