A MUM was furious when she was charged for taking her baby to a cinema – even though he’s too small to use a chair.

Lynsey Calvert, 37, of Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, attempted to take her young family to watch a film at the Movie Starr cinema in Eastern Esplanade, Canvey.

Lynsey was made to pay £3 entry to children’s comedy Mirror Mirror for ten-week-old Samuel.

She had paid the £3 each for herself and her two other sons Oscar, five and Max, two, but the incident over Samuel’s admission ruined the family’s day out.

She said: “I was absolutely outraged. Samuel is too young to even keep his head up to watch the film and sat in a sling the whole time.

“I just feel like they have taken advantage because I could hardly say no, and disappoint my two other children.”

Lynsey was shocked and surprised at having to pay, as cinema giants Odeon and Empire, which have multiplexes in Southend and Basildon, waive the charge for small babies.

She added: “Entertaining three children for two weeks over the Easter holidays can be hard and very expensive, so you need to try to keep everything as cheap as possible.

“The reason we come to this cinema is because travelling to the bigger ones in Basildon and Southend works out far too much, especially with the cost of fuel going up.

“I am all for championing smaller businesses, but I am seriously thinking twice about coming here again. You would think they would have more flexibility over things like this.”

Movie Starr owner Shane Parkin said: “Legally, everyone has to be issued a ticket due to fire regulations.

“If a fire were to happen, they would need to know how many people are on the premises. So regardless of age, regardless of money, everyone has to be issued a ticket.

“We are deeply sorry the customer has complained, and I apologise for not being available to attend to the matter personally.”