Parents' warning after little girl suffers serious burns from hot mug of tea

A dad has described the moment he saw his toddler's skin "peel away" from her chest after she was burnt by a cup of tea.

Bella was 18 months old when she pulled a mug off the table, sending scalding water pouring onto her chest.

She suffered first and second degree burns, had to undergo surgery, and is still receiving treatment eight months on.

As part of National Burns Awareness Day, her father is speaking out to warn others to be aware of the danger of hot drinks.

The NHS says around three children a week are treated for serious scalds in the South West - most of them under two years old.

Consultant Burns and Plastic Surgeon at the Burns Unit in North Bristol NHS Trust said the most severe injuries can lead to lifelong scaring and years of treatment.

"Hot drinks are found in every home and can be so dangerous. It’s important to take extra care especially if you have young children around," he added.

In Bella's case, she was at home in Exeter with her parents, Tom Lomas and Alexandra Bennett, when the accident happened.

"It was breakfast time," Tom said. "We’d put a cup of the tea on the table as we always do, assuming it was out of reach.

"Bella grabbed the mug, which was quite heavy. As it fell, she has looked down and the hot drink has spilled all the way from her chin, shoulders and sternum."

The hot water in the cup had only been out of the kettle for a few minutes and burnt Bella instantly.

“I saw the skin peel away from her chest," Tom said. "Alexandra screamed.

"We called 999 who advised us to take her into a cool bath and pour cool water over the area."

Six paramedics were sent to help before Bella was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital by ambulance.

Tom said: I’ll never forget the moment one of the paramedics took me aside and said ‘you are not bad parents’ and at this point the reality of what had happened kicked in and I felt the lowest I’d ever felt in my life."

Bella was given pain medication and assessed in Exeter but the severity of her burns meant she had to be transferred to a specialist unit in Plymouth.

Tom said: “When we arrived in Plymouth, the burns team were waiting for us and within two hours of arriving, she was in the operating theatre."

Tom described the duration of Bella's surgery as the longest hour of his life.

Bella, who is now two years old, is still receiving treatment with silicone gel and wears a pressure garment every day to help treat her scarring.

"It’s been really emotional, and Bella has been through so much," he said.

"In the past eight months Bella’s gone through two surgeries and 15 to 20 trips to the hospital to be where we are today. But despite everything she’s still a two-year-old who wants to go to the park and play with trains.

“We’re very grateful to all the NHS teams who have done an amazing job, not just looking after Bella, but also looking after myself and Alexandra. We also know Bella was very lucky not to have been more badly scalded."

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The NHS is also urging people to be careful when using hot water bottles.

Over the past 10 years, there have been 256 hot water bottle injuries seen in a specialist burn service in the South West - approximately two cases a month.

Mr Wearn said 86 of these cases was in children under 14 years old.

"The majority of these occurred in the kitchen while playing and exploring, but many also occur in the bedroom whilst sleeping," he said.

"We have recently shown that burn services in England and Wales manage on average 600 hot water bottle related injuries annually and that there has been a 43% increase in these injuries across recent winters."

Hot water bottle standards do not dictate an expiry date, however, burns specialists recommend that hot water bottles are replaced every two years from the time they are first used.

When using hot water bottles, users should:

• Check that there are no signs of damage, cracks or tears.

• Use boiled water from a kettle but wait at least 10 minutes to let it cool first before filling the hot water bottle