A shop in York, England, banned a 2-year-old boy from wearing a hood inside the store. Staff at the Monkton Road Store said Jay Cowper had to take off his jacket because the store has a strict "no hoods" policy.

But the boy's grandfather, John Cowper, would not relent and just walked out of the store. It was freezing cold when the grandfather and grandson went to go shopping.

The same shop previously wold not serve a middle-aged nurse who was wearing a hooded top when she went to collect her morning newspaper.

The boy's grandmother, Brenda Cowper, 54, a care assistant at York Hospital, told The Sun newspaper, "What happened was pathetic and laughable. I can understand the point about hoodies because a lot of kids cause trouble. But when it's a two-year-old it's ridiculous.

"No sooner had they got inside than the shopkeeper said, 'Could you ask the little boy to remove his hood?' We won't be going back."

Jay's 22-year-old mother, Laura Cowper, added, "Dad was fuming when he came back. Jay is a quiet little boy. It's not like he was running round the shop. All right, keep an eye out for hooligans. But don't turn away good people like us. It seems the world's gone mad."

The Monkton Road Store, which serves the well-to-do Huntington area of York, is only a five-minute walk from the family home, but it was a cold and windy night so Jay was wrapped up in a jacket with a furry hood.