Brits that use a hot water bottle have been issued a warning as temperatures begin to plummet.
Consumer expert Alice Beer appeared on This Morning on Monday (November 21) to share an important piece of safety advice for all those looking to warm themselves up this winter. Amid rising energy bills, many Brits are likely looking for cheaper alternatives to switching on the radiator - this includes hot water bottles.
Alice was contacted on Instagram by a parent whose child tragically suffered third-degree burns after her hot water bottle had burst. The expert explained how this had become a common issue, with Chelsea and Westminster hospital seeing people suffering hot water bottle burns at least once a week, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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"Half of hot water bottle injuries need skin grafts and surgeries," she said. "These are not surface burns, these go really deep."
She added that a regular hot water bottle should last up to three years before people consider finding a replacement. Alice also advised anyone with a hot water bottle to check their date of manufacture to see how long they've had it.
Brandishing a hot water bottle on the set, Alice demonstrated how the date of manufacture will likely not be known by most people but a hidden code on the product will tell you everything you need to know. She said: "You don't know about it because this is a brand new hot water bottle in a fluffy cover. Why would you ever take it off unless it got dirty. I'm sorry, but I think this is the worst system for printing a date because it's so confusing."
She continued: "Inside you have got a daisy wheel date. It's got 12 segments and in the middle of this one you have got a 22. This one was made in 2022. Then you have 12 segments around the outside and those are the months.
"You can tell the month it was manufactured from when the dots end. It's got dots in eight segments so it was made in August."
The number of dots on a hot water bottle indicates the week it was made. Alice also highlighted that people should not pour boiling water into their bottle and should remove the cover when filling it up so you can accurately check the condition it's in.
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