A BOY playing football with his pals was horrifically burnt by a ‘Putin’ plant in the park.
Jenson Price was left with agonising blisters when he brushed past giant hogweed, a plant native to Russia.
The weed, often dubbed “Britain’s most dangerous plant”, has toxic sap which burns skin and can cause temporary blindness.
The nine-year-old has come into contact with the plant while running to fetch the football during the kickabout with his friends in Ryhope Park, Sunderland.
Mum-of-three Nadia Price said when her son first saw the marks on his body, they “looked like cat scratches”.
Within hours, they flared into “very painful blisters” – prompting a swift trip to the doctors.
Docs confirmed the scars were from giant hogweed plants, officially known as Heracleum mantegazzianum.
It is native to the Caucasus mountains in southwest Russia and Georgia, and has sharply serrated leaves and splotchy stems.
I didn’t know anything about it before, but the thought of anyone falling in it is scary
Nadia Price
Nadia, 37, said her son is now on a combination of antibiotics, antihistamines and steroids and has been off school because he is struggling to walk.
“To be honest, I didn’t know these plants were such a thing until I went on Google.
“I just want to raise awareness. I know how many kids are in Ryhope Park playing – and then there’s people with dogs too.”
Sunderland City Council said “We are aware of reports of giant hogweed in the Ryhope area.
“The council asks anyone who spots giant hogweed in Sunderland to report it to us.”
The toxic sap from the plant increases the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight, often leading to burns – and sometimes blindness.
Nadia added “It’s worrying because when I drive around now I see the plant everywhere.
“I didn’t know anything about it before, but the thought of anyone falling in it is scary.
“Jenson was playing football at Ryhope Park.
“The ball went into the goal – which doesn’t have any nets – and went into where the hogweed is.
“When his skin came up in the blisters, I took him straight to the doctors, where he was given antibiotics.”
“Their advice was to keep the blisters clean and covered.”
Barbara Hall, who works at the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, said “The plant is phototoxic.
“That means that if you get the sap on, to your skin, it causes a burn-like blister.
“It breaks down your skin’s ability to protect you from UV light.
“If you touch the plant, cover it from the sun straight away to stop it from reacting.
“We had one in the Poison Garden last year and the TV presenter Matt Baker came and cut it down.
“He wore a hazmat suit with a mask on to do it because it’s so dangerous!
“If people see one, the best thing to do is report it to the council and stay away from it.”
Giant Hogweed may look impressive but any contact with the sap of this plant can cause serious injury, particularly to your skin.
What does Giant Hogweed look like?
When fully grown, giant hogweed is aptly named.
The plant can grow up to 25ft tall, with long green stems, purple blotches, and huge branches of small white flowers and large green leaves.
The plant’s flower heads bloom in June and July and can reach up to 2ft across.
Giant hogweed can be mistaken for other plants such as cow parsley, cow parsnip, Queen Anne’s Lace or elderberry as the flowers look similar.
Their size when fully grown is very helpful for identifying the harmful crop.
Why does Giant Hogweed cause rashes, burns and blisters?
Giant hogweed stems have fine needle-like hairs that can cause extreme irritation.
While the sap in giant hogweed contains a chemical called furanocoumarins.
When this toxin comes into contact with the skin, it binds with DNA in skin cells, causing them to die.
The sap reacts with the melanin in your skin and removes protection that patch has from UV light, causing photosensitivity (where the affected area becomes highly sensitive to sunlight), resulting in nasty burns, lesions and blisters.
Those burns can last for several months and, even once they’ve gone, skin can remain scarred and sensitive to sunlight for years to come.
If the hairs of the giant hogweed plant or its sap come into contact with your eyes, they can even cause temporary or even permanent blindness in severe cases.
How do I treat burns from Giant Hogweeds?
The NHS website advises that if you come into contact with giant hogweed and you get a burn, you should wash the affected area with soap and water and then cover it, keeping it out of natural or artificial light.
If blisters appear, do not burst them! If the blisters are extensive, seek medical attention.
Should you get sap in your eye, flush the eye with a large amount of water and seek medical attention.
If you begin to feel unwell after contact with giant hogweed, speak to your doctor.
Ensure you thoroughly and quickly wash the clothes you were wearing when you came into contact with the plant.
And if you’re concerned that a child has come into contact with, or ingested giant hogweed, seek medical attention immediately
