B&Q's risk assessment questioned after accident

The mother of a nine-year-old girl whose hair was ripped out by a fan in a B&Q store is questioning the adequacy of the shop's risk assessment, a source says.

Kay Pateman was at a vending machine with her 22-year-old brother when her hair became caught in the back of the rotating fan, the Leicester Mercury reports.

Chunks of her hair had been pulled out at the roots.

Her mother, Anna, says she was offered £15 in gift vouchers as compensation but declined it.

She says she simply wants an apology and to be reassured the company was considering safety issues.

"I was astonished that a big store like that can have equipment in use in their shop without having thought about public safety," Mrs Pateman told the newspaper.

B&Q's spokesperson says the fan had its front guard intact and its back had been placed near to the wall.

"We believe the fan in question is compliant with all the legal requirements and that Miss Pateman's hair becoming tangled was an unfortunate accident," he stated.

Earlier this year, the Birmingham Mail reported B&Q were being told to pay £28,000 after a lawn mower fell on a worker's head.