A MUM has spoken of her horror following a freak accident which led to sharp glass showering her family at a Chinese restaurant.

Sarah Garner, 36, of Durham Road, Laindon, had just arrived for a meal at Aroma restaurant in Festival Leisure Park, Basildon, when a pane of glass, linking the first floor balcony and the ceiling, suddenly shattered.

Thousands of shards fell on seated customers and those serving themselves at the buffet.

Mrs Garner, her daughter Neave, five, sister Zoe, 32, nephews Lewis, 14, and Tyler, ten, and niece Tia, seven, all suffered cuts.

She said: “My daughter had cuts to her leg because she had a dress on and quite a large piece of glass fell on the top of my sister’s head.

“My nephew Lewis suffered cuts to his face, mostly around his eyes, while Tyler had cuts to his face and I had to get a bit of glass out of his leg afterwards.

“It was really frightening.

“When we first heard the glass shattering, we didn’t know if a bomb had gone off. We’ve heard since it most likely shattered on its own, and was a freak accident.”

Mrs Garner was upset they were not given more help by staff, but thanked a fellow customer who came to their aid.

She said: “I would like to say thank you to a man who said he had first aid experience and checked us out. He was worried bits of glass might have been stuck in our arteries, but luckily we were OK.”

The family is now planning to sue the restaurant.

Raymond Chang, 50, restaurant manager, said: “I was not working that day, but my staff called site security straight away and an ambulance.

“My staff were also in shock, but they did their best to help the injured. I would like to apologise to any customers who were injured, even though it was an accident.”