THE Ethel Austin chain store has upset customers by selling black lacy bras to young girls.

The clothes shop, which has 240 branches nation-wide including one in Gravesend, has withdrawn the stock from the shelves which was aimed at children as young as six.

Retail director Ray Carroll said: “We had a couple of complaints from customers saying that the black lacy bras for girls were not appropriate. We then looked into the whole range and have now removed these items from our shops.

We have taken off anything which is deemed to be a bra and will not be selling them to children under 10 years old.”

The complaints have sparked comments from children’s charities stating that by selling black lacy underwear to young girls it is encouraging adults to prey on them.

Megan Burns from anti-sex abuse group Kidscape said: “We are a group concerned with children’s safety and well-being. When stores market this sort of product to younger and younger children all the time it is concerning that they do not think about the well being of the children, just the money they will get from tapping into a young market."

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