A seven-year-old girl may need surgery after she suffered severe burns to her feet from a red hot barbecue buried in the sand. Simi Adenaike from Mount Pleasant was enjoying quality time with her family at Swansea Bay beach before their fun day turned into a nightmare and she was rushed to hospital.
Young Simi had been playing on the sand with her relatives when she stepped on a patch which, unbeknown to anyone, was covering a disposable barbecue buried at that spot despite there being a number of specialist bins for such waste in the bay. She let out a "horrifying scream," her mum recalled, and was in so much pain she could not even explain what had happened to her at first.
But once her family saw her feet and realised what had happened she was immediately taken to hospital for treatment. Sadly, Simi may now need skin-graft surgery to repair the damage to her feet. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Simi's mum, Alex Adenaike explained: "We had only just arrived at the beach and were looking forward to having some fun. The children started playing almost immediately and had been running around in the sand. We heard a horrifying scream and my daughter came running back.
“She was in so much pain, she was unable to tell us what happened. Eventually we realised one of her feet was very red and blistered. We had some help from some other visitors on the beach to cool down the burn with water and we got her to hospital immediately."
It's understood the family were later told by other beachgoers that a group had used a barbecue on the beach and tried to bury their foil tray in the sand before leaving, instead of using the dedicated barbecue bins. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
"This is so upsetting and my daughter is now needing further treatment and possibly a skin graft," Alex added.
Health chiefs said recently a common misconception had led to a steep rise in often horrific beach barbecue accidents in Swansea Bay - namely that people thought burying their hot coals in the sand would cool them, whereas it actually heated the sand instead. You can read more about that here.
Swansea Council has condemned the actions of those who carelessly left the disposable barbecue in the sand and are urging residents and holidaymakers to use the barbecue bins located along Swansea Bay beach and beyond. They said there was a disposable BBQ bin located close to where the beachgoers left their barbecue.
Cabinet member for community, Cyril Anderson, said: “This incident is horrendous and we wish Simi and her family all the best as she receives medical treatment. The dangers associated with discarding or leaving disposable BBQs on our beaches are well known and that’s why we have gone to the trouble of installing fifteen bins at all of our beaches. Anyone who thinks that it's okay to bury BBQs or any other waste in the sand on a day out is simply irresponsible and thoughtless to the injuries they can cause to beach users.
"We've invested thousands of pounds installing permanent BBQ waste bins along Swansea Bay beach and also at Port Eynon, Horton, Caswell and Langland with more to come at Rotherslade. BBQs and charcoal retain their heat for hours after they've been used and can cause serious burns for people who accidentally step on them."
Swansea Council's beach cleansing teams clean the beach every morning during the summer and throughout the day. They are often supported by dedicated volunteers who help keep the beach clean, tidy and safe. Additional teams are also targeting littering hotspots at busy times.
The 15 places where you can get rid of your disposable BBQs in Swansea
Along Swansea Bay between West Pier and Mumbles: Point playground car park entrance to beach; top of the Civic Centre steps near the beach; Bay View slip; steps by Secret car park opposite Victoria Park; near the Secret; Brynmill Lane Slip; just above Clyne stream near the footgolf attraction.
There's also one barbecue bin at each end of the picnic area in Blackpill and further bins at Langland Bay, Port Eynon, Horton and Rotherslade.
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