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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kelly-Ann Mills

Disabled girl, 18, 'scarred for life' as boiling hot water bottle bursts open in bed

A disabled teenager could be scarred for life after her hot water bottle split open leaving her with devastating burns and blisters.

Georgia Hattam was having stomach pains on Monday evening, so mum Claire filled a hot water bottle as she had done numerous times before, so the 18-year-old could take it to bed with her.

But just five minutes later Georgia let out an ear-piercing scream as the boiling water hit her skin.

Mum Claire, a hospice health worker, told the Mirror: "I came in from work at about 10.45pm and Georgia had been suffering with pains all last week, so I made her a hot water bottle up.

"She went to bed and I went to my room, but a few minutes later she let out this piercing scream."

Blisters needed to be cut away (Claire Hattam)
She could be permanently scarred (Claire Hattam)

The hot water bottle had split open releasing the gushing scalding liquid all over the teen's legs.

Georgia had made her way out to the hallway and Claire quickly ripped off her daughter's pyjamas and raced to get cold flannels to cool her down, while calling 111 for help.

Ambulance staff told Claire there was at least a two hour delay, and then later called backed to say the wait could be even longer as Georgia lie in pain and the angry blister got bigger by the minute.

With the help of a friend Claire from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, managed to get Georgia down the stairs and drive her to A&E herself.

Georgia was taken through a painful deroofing process to remove the blisters and skin and has since been referred to a burns clinic, as it is feared she could be scarred forever.

Georgia's damaged skin (Claire Hattam)
She is waiting to see the burn clinic (Claire Hattam)

Mum Claire, 47, said: "I have terrible mum guilt. Georgia is probably scarred for life and I was the one who gave the water bottle to her.

"We won't be using them ever again and have already told family to throw theirs out.

"All I can remember is hearing Georgia let out that piercing scream."

Georgia who has autism and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - a group of rare inherited conditions that cause very flexible joints and stretchy, fragile skin - is at college studying Animal Management, as well as working part time at a trampoline park.

She said the pain from the burns has been getting worse each day rather than better.

Georgia and her mum Claire (Reach Commissioned/Steve Bainbridge)

"You just don't think something like this will happen to you, until it actually does," she told the Mirror.

"I just want other people to know about the dangers.

"Please, just get rid of them."

Many people are turning to hot water bottles as a way to cut their energy bills, as the cost of living crisis bites.

Earlier this week consumer expert Alice Beer told This Morning viewers that she was contacted on Instagram by a parent whose child suffered third-degree burns after her hot water bottle had burst.

Alice said how this had become a common issue, adding that a London hospital is seeing people with hot water bottle burns at least once a week.

Georgia wants others to throw away their hot water bottles (Reach Commissioned/Steve Bainbridge)

She said: "Half of hot water bottle injuries need skin grafts and surgeries. 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 should consider finding a replacement.

Alice also advised anyone with a hot water bottle to check its date of manufacture to see how long they've had it.

She even demonstrated how to find the date through a hidden code on the product.

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."

Alice Beer warned of hot water bottle dangers (ITV)

She added: "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."

Alice also added that people should remove the cover when filling it up so you can accurately check the condition it's in.

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