A seven-month-old girl suffered a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain when she was allegedly hit by a man in a wheelchair at a McDonald's restaurant.

The baby was being held in her mother's arms as she stood in a queue when the incident happened in the Gallions Reach Shopping Centre in Newham, London between 2pm and 3pm on Saturday, 18 June, the Metropolitan Police said.

The extent of the baby's injuries only became apparent when her parents took her to hospital after noticing a small bump on her head, the force added.

She was kept in hospital overnight and discharged the next day.

Detectives are trying to establish whether the alleged actions of the man in the wheelchair were accidental.

The Metropolitan Police have released a CCTV image of a woman believed to be the wheelchair user's carer.

She is described by officers as a black woman, about 40 years-old and of a large build. She was wearing a beige coloured jacket and carrying a brown handbag.

The man in the wheelchair is described as Asian, and between 15 and 25 years-old. His right arm had a foam cast on it and he was wearing a black jacket and was of a large build, police added.