AN 11-month-old baby must have a lifesaving operation to re-insert his feeding tube after it was accidentally pulled out on a faulty sofa.

Riley Davies, from the Woodgrange estate, Southend, suffers from rickets, severe reflux, an allergy to dairy products and apnoea, meaning he could stop breathing at any time.

Because of his conditions, he is fed by a tube directly into his stomach, which was ripped out after he rolled over on the sofa and caught it in a faulty reclining mechanism.

Riley will undergo an operation to re-insert the tube at Great Ormond Street Hospital today, but has been in pain for four days because he cannot be given his medication orally.

Riley’s dad, Ashley Davies, has been complaining to furniture shop Harvey’s about the faulty sofa since January and had been offered a refund.

He said: “They said ‘how much compensation would you like?’.

“It was like they’re trying to buy me off and keep me quiet, because they don’t want anymore bad press.

“No matter how much they offered, it wouldn’t affect my son’s health.

“Riley is in a lot of stress. He hates hospitals now and this has made it even worse. Plus my partner is pregnant again and due in four weeks, so none of this is helping.”

He added: “Riley’s in a lot of pain and on intravenous fluids at the minute.

“One of only five top surgeons at Great Ormond Street is willing to do the surgery as local anaesthetic could affect his apnoea and means he stops breathing.”

Mr Davies bought the sofa in September 2013, but it soon became noticeable it was collapsing and he reported it in January.

Following a visit, Harveys advised Mr Davies in March it would replace the sofa.

Mr Davies requested a refund in March, rather than accept the offer of a new sofa, but following recent reports of faulty Harvey’s goods on BBC TV’s Watchdog programme, he contacted the company again to advise them of his son’s disabilities and that he had already caught his leg in the mechanism.

On June 14, Mr Davies was contacted with an offer of a refund and to organise collection of the faulty sofa, as well as the loan of one until he could buy new furniture.

However, Riley then got hurt.

Stephen Campbell, managing director of Harvey’s parent company, Steinhoff UK, said: “We are all very disturbed to hear Mr Davies’s son is in hospital and hope his recovery is a speedy one.

Our thoughts and very best wishes are with him.

“We, of course, understand Mr Davies needs to be with his son at this time, but we have arranged to speak to him to resolve the situation to his satisfaction.”