A NEW mum has slammed a toy company for refusing to hand over the cot and bedding for her child, which she insists she has already paid for.

In March, like most expectant mums, Georgina Austin-Cooper, 31, was busy preparing for the arrival of her first baby.

She took her husband Matt, 41, and mum Pauline Newman, 59, to Toys R Us in Southernhay, Basildon, to stock up on baby essentials, including a cot and cot bedding.

However, Mrs Austin-Cooper, of Mapleford Sweep, in Basildon, was told the items she wanted were currently out of stock.

She was told she could order the items and the store would give her a call as soon as they arrived.

So the family ordered the bedding and the soon-to-be-grandmother, Mrs Newman, paid the £180 bill.

However, by the time baby Lexie was born in July there was still no word from Toys R Us.

The anxious new mum said she made repeated calls to the store to say she had not received the cot, only to be told in a letter the company was investigating her claim and the police could be involved.

The letter also stated claims like Mrs Austin-Cooper’s often turned out to be false, and she could be taken to court.

She still has no idea if and when she will get a bed for her daughter.

Mrs Austin-Cooper said: “This has really upset me. They’ve made me feel like a criminal for wanting what I’ve already paid for.

“I can’t believe this from such a big company. We’ve bought so much stuff from them over the years and never had any problems.

“Somewhere along the line their procedures have failed, but it’s their problem not ours. I just want a bed for my baby.”

The new mum explained baby Lexie was currently sleeping in a Moses basket, which she would soon grow out of.

She said: “We’re getting desperate. We haven’t got the money to get a new cot and bedding, but luckily my parents will help.

“We didn’t think it would come to this.”

A spokesman for Toys R Us confirmed the company was looking into the complaint.