A plastic reindeer head is being taken down from a shopping centre’s grotto after claims a six-year-old became traumatised when he saw it.

Staff at The Mall in Maidstone will remove the decoration this evening once it has closed to shoppers.

A message from Adele Keen to the Mall and KM on social media said she was appalled by the head when visiting the shopping centre with her son.

She said: “My son was just traumatised. It’s disgusting as my six-year-old boy was mortified and said ‘did Santa kill his reindeer?’

“I tried to move on quickly so he was not too scared and his Christmas reindeer beliefs weren’t crushed.”

Ms Keen has since told the KM her social media account was hacked.

Staff said the fixture was part of a medieval castle theme and had taken swift action to remove it after receiving the complaint.

"It’s disgusting as my six-year-old boy was mortified and said ‘did Santa kill his reindeer?’" - Adele Keen

Suzie Brindle, marketing manager at the Pad’s Hill centre, said: “A member of the public contacted us via social media saying they had visited the grotto and felt part of the decoration was inappropriate.

She added the centre’s management team had investigated. It will be taken down after opening hours which complies with health and safety regulations.

“Each year the grotto features a different theme. The decoration in question is a faux plastic deer’s head that was part of the overall theme this year of a medieval castle,” she said.

Over the years, the attraction has helped to raise more than £200,000 for charities.

Ms Brindle added “We hope this incident does not hinder our fundraising drive this year.”