A woman and child have been hospitalised after a glass window above shops in High Wycombe town centre smashed on top of them.

Ambulance crews received panicked 999 calls after eye-witnesses reported seeing the glass fall on a woman’s head as she was walking with a pushchair in the Eden Shopping Centre at about 2pm.

Shoppers have told the Bucks Free Press they heard a “large bang” before shattered glass hit the head and back of the woman as she walked through door of stationery shop Smiggle, opposite River Island and HMV.

One ambulance was called to the scene and treated a woman and child for minor injuries before taking them to Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

A section of the shopping centre remains closed off and investigations are ongoing.

Passer-by Maria Mellor said: “I was walking down past the shops and there was a really large bang.

“It turned out that glass from above a shop had broken and landed on a woman’s head. I couldn’t tell how bad it was, but she was crying.

“She had a baby with her and people were shouting for someone to call an ambulance. I think the glass only hit her.”

She added: “I don’t know if something hit the window, but it just smashed.”

Another shopper, who did not want to be named, said: “I heard a really loud crack, turned around and there was all the glass over the floor.

“It had landed on her as she was walking into the shop with a pushchair. It’s so awful really and could have really bad with the baby too.”

She added that the glass appeared to hit the top of her back as she leant forward trying to avoid it.

The dramatic incident comes just days after the emergency services closed a main road in the town centre when glass at the top of Sainsbury's car park smashed.

A spokesman for Smiggle said: “Our property team is urgently working with the relevant authorities to investigate the cause of an incident that took place at our High Wycombe store.

"The health and safety  of our customers and staff is paramount, and we use only toughened, laminated glass approved to the highest standards.”

An Eden Shopping Centre spokesman added: “We are aware of a situation that took place at the centre this afternoon.

"Our team is currently investigating and will provide an update accordingly.”