A mother has hit out at a chain restaurant after her two-year-old daughter was rushed to hospital following an allergic reaction to its food.

Davita Thandi, from Leicester, was dining with her family at the Frankie and Benny's in Great Yarmouth when she ordered the vegan pasta for herself and the vegan pizza for her daughter - who has a dairy allergy.

Mrs Thandi said: "We informed them of the allergy and said that me and my daughter are both vegans."

However after a taste of her mother's pasta, the toddler began to complain of an upset stomach.

"She ate a little bit of my pasta and moments after she started to say her tummy was hurting and she started getting clammy. At that point, we thought she was having a reaction. "

Within minutes of the two-year-old eating the pasta, her condition worsened and she was rushed to the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston.

"We paid the bill and rushed her to A and E - it was only five or ten minutes away and we knew if we called an ambulance we would have been waiting longer.

"When we went to A and E, she started to pass out. She was scratching her body, her ears and lips were swelling. We were seen immediately by a doctor and they said it could be really serious."

The toddler was given Penicillin and steroids to curb the severe reaction and was watched overnight until her condition improved.

Following the ordeal, the parents called the restaurant on Mitchell Drive to inform them of the anaphylactic reaction and they were told there was cross contamination with the food.

She said: "When they came to us he said cheese was cross contaminated with the pizza. We then said, 'It was actually the pasta'.

"We had never had a severe reaction with cross contamination before," she added. "I'm not convinced it was cross contamination."

A Frankie and Benny's spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident that took place at our site in Great Yarmouth on September 17 and are in direct contact with the customers involved. We are conducting an urgent investigation to determine what has taken place.

"We have very strict policies and guidelines with regards to allergens and all our staff are trained in this area and follow clear protocols."