A MOTHER said she wants to warn other parents after she found a small beetle in powdered milk she was preparing for her six-month-old baby.

Former Rhyddings High School pupil Shaheen Akhtar, 22, claims that this is the third time she has found something in a box of Cow and Gate powder.

Within the last six months she said she has opened the foil packaging to find a small fly on one occasion, and several weeks later, a hair.

In the latest incident, she bought a container of Comfort milk powder from Asda in Accrington.

Mrs Akhtar, who has been staying with her parents in Crossland Street, Accrington, said: "I just opened up the foil package and I saw the black insect inside.

"If other mothers are not careful they probably wouldn't even spot it. I just want to warn them to be careful and have a look through the powder before it is given to a child.

"I felt so angry because this isn't the first time it has happened. If it has happened to me three times, how many other parents have been affected by the same problem?"

Suzanne Kingsberry, consumer assurance manager for Cow and Gate, said Mrs Akhtar had been the victim of isolated incidents and there was not a batch issue with the product.

She added: "We are concerned to hear about this complaint. All of our milks are made to the highest quality standards.

"We investigate all complaints and report back to the consumer with our findings. We would like to reassure parents about the quality of our products.

"It is impossible for an insect to live inside the powder because it is so dry and packaged under vacuum. There are many processes in place to prevent insects getting into the milk and we would like to stress that these are isolated incidents."