An eight-year-old girl has lost six of her fingers after playing with rubbish that was dumped behind her home. Kerry Ratcliffe’s daughter Bella, suffered life-changing injuries an alleyway behind the family home.
Mum Kerry, 34, says Bella was ‘making a den’ when she stepped on a garden table which had been dumped. She told MEN: "Bella was standing on a table, it wobbled, and her fingers came off."
Bella tried to grab onto a fence to break her fall.
How Bella's hands looked after the surgery (Image: Kerry Ratcliffe)
“It’s heartbreaking,” Kerry said. “We heard screaming and a neighbour ran over and then my son pushed me back inside and said ‘she has got no fingers’, then I collapsed.
She added: "She was in surgery for 12 hours to reattach. It did not go to plan.”
Thje incident happened in April and Bella, now 9, has gone back to school. The family has moved closer to relatives for additional support.
Bella is now on the mend (Image: Kerry Ratcliffe)
One day, Bella will have a prosthetic hand, Kerry added. However, the full-time-mum is now calling on the authorities to make sure the alleyway — which neighbours claim is ‘hot spot for fly-tipping’ — is secured.
The garden table which 'wobbled', part of the 'fly-tip' (Image: Kerry Ratcliffe)
Salford council confirmed the land is owned by ForHousing, a housing association. Executive director of homes Nigel Sedman said: “The security fence at the rear of the homes at Kestrel Avenue was put in place several years ago after local neighbours raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping in the area.
“In April, a neighbour reported that this incident had taken place, and we immediately visited the site to make it safe. We will continue to offer support and work with the local community.”
