Asda failed to keep promise on girls' bras

A woman found the double pack of size 28AA pink and white bras despite the supermarket's promise to remove the items following widespread concern over the "sexualisation" of children's clothes.

The retailer immediately apologised and said two or three of the 6 packs had mistakenly remained on sale in just one of its stores.

The bras, which were on display at the end of an aisle in the main lingerie section of a Sheffield branch, had been removed from sale.

Mother-of-two Nikola Evans reportedly found the bras last week.

She said: "Staff told me they used to be on sale in the children's section but they had been told to move them to the lingerie department.

"Clearly these items are aimed at children. An adult would have to be anorexic or something for them to fit as they have a very narrow back. No woman with even a modestly developed figure would be able to wear one.

"As a mother I'm very concerned about the potentially serious consequences of young girls wearing items like these and the possibility of encouraging sexual abuse."

The retailer was among the first to sign up to the Let Girls Be Girls campaign set up by the parenting network Mumsnet in February. It began after a string of items aimed at children and deemed to be offensive by parents went on sale at a series of retail chains.

A spokeswoman for Asda said: "The item found in our Sheffield store should not have been on sale as it was a size we withdrew over six months ago.

"However, in any event, it

wasn't padded. It contained a thin modesty and smoothing layer that through extensive research teenagers buying their first bra tell us they like as it avoids the embarrassment of having their nipples showing under their school shirts.

"We do not sell children's padded bras."

She added: "We take our responsibilities as the largest childrenswear retailer extremely seriously."