A mum was left horrified when her daughter's Primark hot water bottle leaked and burned her skin, causing it to “melt” off.
When Michelle Wescott heard a “blood-curdling” scream coming from the kitchen, she didn’t expect to find her teenage daughter in pain, with her skin “bubbling” away.
Sydney, 15, decided to make herself a hot water bottle in a bid to find comfort for her intense period pains.
But as she settled down to eat dinner, scalding water covered her thighs and stomach.
Now, Sydney is left with over 10% of her skin in blisters and hyperpigmentation as a result.
Mum Michelle is hoping to raise awareness for the dangers of using hot water bottles straight from the kettle.
“My little girl’s skin bubbled before my eyes and my mind went numb from the sheer horror,” Michelle told NTK.
“I initially blamed myself, as I thought the lid wasn’t screwed on properly and I wondered how I could’ve let something like this slip at the expense of my daughter.
“I went into survival mode, as did my daughter, Paige, and my husband, Richard, as we all rallied together to make sure she was OK as I know that timing is everything when it comes to burns.
“Whatever I did then and there would determine the outcome.
“But as my husband doused her skin in cool water continuously, I couldn’t help but feel terrified as her skin continued to bubble and melt off.”
Michelle, a secondary school attendance manager from Bristol, phoned 999 and an ambulance arrived 20 minutes later.
Her daughter was given pain relief and her burns were wrapped in cling film, before she was blue-lighted to the hospital in November 2022.
While there, Sydney was given more pain medication before doctors peeled the cling film back to examine the damage.
The burns team performed emergency debridement surgery, where the top layer of the damaged skin is scraped off.
Over the next three weeks, the family worked together to ensure a speedy recovery, using yoga blocks to prop up the leg so Paige could sit and regular visits to the hospital to have the dressings changed.
Michelle, who tried to stay strong, found the whole ordeal “heartbreaking” and recalls feeling “horrified” at the condition of her daughter's leg.
She said: “As her skin wasn’t able to scab due to no air getting to the wound, her thigh turned deep purple and the tissue was so thin that I could see her blood vessels.
"Over the past few months, it’s changed through all different colours, from red, to blue to pink.
“Since then, she’s been told to be very careful with the wound, but there’s been a couple of times where she’s ripped the skin with a nail while exercising and getting her muscle strength back – which isn’t pretty.”
Michelle claims that a slit in the Primark water bottle had caused boiling water to flood out and all the protective coating had worn off.
She claims to have purchased it from the brand a year ago and that the item has a warning label that says it must be replaced every two years due to deterioration from the inside worsening the quality.
However, Primark said that the label also includes a notice not to use boiling water.
The family has reportedly received £250 as a goodwill gesture from the company, but they now hope to raise awareness to stop this from happening to someone else.
The mum-of-two added: “I’m so shocked, as I’ve always filled up hot water bottles straight from the kettle.
“Now, we’re using microwavable wheat bags or TENS machines to help with period pains instead.
“Sydney will be scarred for life, but she’s persevered with the treatment, no matter how painful and her skin is getting better.
“It’s not been as easy as throwing out the hot water bottle and being done with it, as this will be a lifelong trauma she will have to deal with.
“I had worried about how this would affect her mentally, but she’s been incredible and I couldn’t be more proud of how well she’s handled this, especially with such bravery.
“If you do use a hot water bottle, please don’t use boiling water – it’s not worth the risk.”
Sydney added: “If I can help anybody and stop one person from filling up a hot water bottle straight from the kettle, then at least something positive has come out of what has happened to me.
“I can’t change what happened, but I can work towards making a change for someone else.”
A spokesperson for Primark said: “We were very sorry to learn of this customer’s experience.
“We take the safety and the quality of our products very seriously and all our hot water bottles have been tested to, and pass the UK and European standards for safety, quality and labelling.
“All our hot water bottles come with user instructions on both the product label and the hot water bottle itself, which includes a warning not to use boiling water.”
