A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy has been banned from a shop because he was wearing a hoodie.

Jay Cowper was muffled up against the cold but he and his granddad were told they had to leave their local store.

The same shop in York recently banned a middle-aged nurse for wearing a hooded top as she went to collect her morning newspaper.

Staff at Monkton Road Stores say they have a clear 'no hoods' policy because of problems caused by genuine troublemakers.

Jay's grandmother Brenda Cowper said the banned was "laughable."

She said: "I can understand their point, because there are a lot of kids that cause trouble down there, but when it's a two-year-old it's a bit pathetic."

Mrs Cowper, 54, a house care assistant at York Hospital, said her husband took their grandson to the shop at about 7pm on Friday night.

The shop is just a five-minute walk from the family home but it was a cold and windy night so Jay was wrapped up in a brown Next jacket with a furry hood.

Mrs Cowper said: "No sooner had they got inside than the shopkeeper said to my husband; 'could you ask the little boy to remove his hood?' "My husband said, 'he's only two-and-a-half, I don't think he's going to rob you!' "I don't think he could believe it, and my husband refused to take it down as a matter of principle."

Mr Cowper had to drive to another shop, a Spar, to buy his cigarettes.

Last November the store refused to serve Lorraine Robinson, 47, a nurse who has used the shop for 40 years.

On that occasion staff at the shop said 'no hoods' notices were clearly displayed and they had to take decisive action to prevent trouble. The rules applied to everyone.

No-one was available to comment at the store following the latest episode.

Hoodies first made national headlines in 2005 when Blue Water Shopping Centre in Kent issued a complete ban.