A chief executive was refused entry to an Amazon business course after being told that breastfeeding her baby on site would pose a health and safety risk. Rachael Bews, 33, who runs the Scotland-based marketing agency Nu Coton, had signed up for Amazon's Innovation Accelerator programme, which involves a tour of the company's fulfilment centre in Dunfermline followed by workshops. The case raises questions about how large employers accommodate nursing mothers at professional events.

Ms Bews had made extensive arrangements to attend, organising pet-sitting and childcare for her two other children and spending £80 on train tickets so that she, her husband and their five-month-old daughter, Sophia, could travel together. She intended to nurse Sophia directly throughout the day while her husband cared for the baby, and had hoped Amazon could find a space for them on its large campus. However, while she was on the train to the event, Amazon telephoned to say her breastfeeding requirements could not be accommodated. The Dunfermline centre is Amazon's largest in the UK, covering 93,000 square metres and employing over 1,200 staff.