A MOTHER watched in horror as the pushchair holding her 18-month-old daughter careered down a flight of concrete steps after the handles came off.

What had been an ordinary day out in the park for Sonya Daniels and her daughter, Hannah, turned into a nightmare as they made their way home from the recreation ground in Halling, crossing the bridge over the A228 bypass.

As Mrs Daniels pushed her daughter down the steps, the handles on the £400 pushchair came out of the frame and the buggy rolled down the steps at speed.

Mrs Daniels said: "I tried to grab the pram but it picked up speed and went down about 20 steps. It toppled on to its side and I was terrified of what I might see underneath."

An ambulance was called and Hannah was taken to Maidstone Hospital suffering with cuts and bruising to her head and face. The toddler was also left shaken and withdrawn.

The pram was bought by Mrs Daniels and her husband Alan, of High Street, Halling, at a shop in Maidstone about a year ago.

But the shop has since changed ownership and has told the couple it has no legal obligation to refund or repair the broken pram.

Mrs Daniels said: "I just don’t know what to do. I have an injured little girl who could have died and a broken pram that is no good to anyone.

"It has taken a couple of weeks to find out about the pram and a replacement, which it seems, we won’t be getting. It has been a horrible ordeal."

A spokeswoman from Trading Standards said: "We have an enquiry about the safety of a pram on our files, which we are addressing at present."