Ref. 74415-67AN angry mum is warning parents to check children's clothing before buying it from a Swindon supermarket after discovering a craft knife in a pair of trousers she was about to give to her son.

Christine McFarlane said that five-year-old Conor could have shredded his hands on a blade left in a pair of boy's trousers that had been hanging in the Asda Walmart supermarket in Haydon Wick.

It was only by chance while folding them at home that she found the concealed blade in the pocket along with four security tags.

A shoplifter has been blamed for the shocking deed as supermarket bosses believe the tags were cut off bottles of spirits and, along with the blade, hidden in the trousers.

"My son is a typical five-year-old boy and when putting on clothing immediately puts his hands into the pockets," said Mrs McFarlane, 41.

"The consequences could have been horrific. You have to be a low life to steal items, but the lowest of the low puts things like a blade into children's clothing without care of what the consequences could be."

Supermarket bosses have assured the mum-of-four that staff will now check all clothing thoroughly at the till.

"In my mind this is an important training issue," she said. "Dragging heels will only turn into remorse if a child badly cuts hands or loses a finger.

"I want to make people aware of what could happen and to be extra vigilant while purchasing children's clothing."

Mrs McFarlane, who lives with her husband David, 43, and her three other children, Hannah, 18, Craig 16, and 14-year-old Abby, at Windrush, Highworth, also wants supermarkets to stop selling knives. She said that the blade found in the clothing was sold in the building.

"Maybe if they didn't sell such things it may have been avoided," she said.

"If someone wishes to steal the alcohol they would have to carry it (a blade) in with them and run the risk of being stopped by police outside the store and being caught for possession, rather than the store providing the means in which to do so."

She also wants other supermarkets to be made aware that this could happen on their premises too.

Steve Fletcher, customer care manager for the Asda store in Haydon Wick, said that it was an isolated incident, probably involving a professional shoplifter.

He said knives were sold at the store to meet the demand of customers.

"An opportunist thief would have just thrown the knife on the floor but a professional would leave them hidden," said Mr Fletcher, 32.

"As far as we know this hasn't happened before but we have re-briefed staff about making sure nothing is hidden in garments."

Mr Fletcher said a letter of explanation had been sent to Mrs McFarlane and that she would be given a £50 gift voucher to spend in the store.

Ben Payne