After the riots in Croydon, the last thing the less-than-leafy London borough needs is a race row on the high street. But that’s exactly what it’s got in the run-up to Halloween.

This time it’s 99p Stores under the microscope, with the discounter having a bit of a horror show, appropriately, over some topical tat.

The offending article is a ‘Sinister Black Child’s Wig’ for youngsters playing dress-up as they go looting - sorry, trick or treating. And even though it’s pretty obvious the ‘black’ in the product name refers to the colour of the wig rather than being a racist slur, local shoppers are furious.

“It just blared out at me - I was shocked and horrified and I demanded to speak to the manager,” said Croydon resident Norma Taylor. “It is very negative and it would really be a downer for my granddaughter and all the other children going into that shop.”

Taylor also claimed the outfit modelled by the kid on the packaging looked like “a Klan outfit”.While it all sounds like a bit of a labelling misunderstanding, in fairness to Taylor there isn’t a ‘Sinister Blonde Child’s Wig’ on sale - even though everyone knows blonde-haired moppets like the Milky Bar kid and the Midwich Cuckoos are inherently evil.

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