An urgent BBQ warning has been issued ahead of the coming heatwave after a young boy almost had their foot sliced in half.
Lucy Gotellier’s 12-year-old son Alex was on a school trip when he slashed open his Achilles tendon on a disposable BBQ abandoned on the beach.
Young Alex had been on the trip to Camber Sands in East Sussex when he tripped and fell backwards onto a single-use BBQ, nearly severing his Achilles tendon on June 27.
His mum said doctors believed the metal cut through between half and 70 per cent of the tendon and she described how there was “blood everywhere”.
Lucy, 47, said: "He had to be carried off the beach by his teachers. There was blood everywhere. He was in a lot of pain and shock."
The pupil at St Ronan’s School, Kent, was rushed to A&E and admitted overnight.
At first, he was told he might have to wait two weeks for the operation to put his foot back together but luckily they were able to operate on him the next day.
The injury might have long term effects on the sports loving youngster and he already has to spend six weeks in a cast, which means he’ll miss his summer cricket course.
On top of that, he currently can’t manage full days at school. His mum said: "If he'd had to wait I think it might not have gone so well and Alex would probably be in bad pain.
"He's really upset about it. His injury could affect him long-term, but we will have to wait and see.
"Everyone was so shocked when it happened. People need to know how dangerous disposable barbecues are and I think they should be banned."
Thankfully, she added he is doing “brilliantly” and recovering at home in Kent. Lucy also said that his teachers responded amazingly when the horrific accident happened.
Now, she is hoping what happened will raise some awareness around the dangers of disposable BBQs being left on beaches.
She added: "The people who left the barbecue on the beach were deeply irresponsible.
"They need to know their behaviour causes damage, hence why I am raising awareness."
A ban on single-use barbecues on beaches and open spaces was brought in Brighton last week in a bid to tackle safety and environmental issues .
Anyone not complying could be hit with a fixed penalty notice.
