Britain’s ‘most dangerous plant’ hits County Down: Schoolboy, 8, is left with painful blisters on his hands and arms after accidentally brushing past giant hogweed

A schoolboy ‘may never recover’ after a scorching encounter with ‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’ left him with second and third degree burns.

Zach Rogers, eight, was playing near the White Water River in County Down, Northern Ireland, when he touched the hated giant hogweed.

By the next afternoon, a red spot had developed on his left hand – and by evening he had what looked like chicken pox on both arms.

He woke up the next day with blisters on his hands and arms, down to the elbows, and his parents rushed to get him medical help.

His mother, Danielle Bloomer-Rogers, 34, said: “He was in a lot of pain because it was burning now.

Zach Rogers, eight, was playing near the White Water River in County Down, Northern Ireland, when he touched the hated giant hogweed

‘At this stage we didn’t know it was a giant hogweed fire, it just kept growing and spots kept appearing.

‘I then called my husband, who is a landscaper, via FaceTime, and it was only then that we discovered that it was possibly a burn from a giant hogweed.

‘I called Daisy Hill Hospital A&E and explained the burns. They saw him immediately.

“He has third-degree burns on his left hand and second-degree burns on his right hand.”

Giant hogweed carries a sap that causes the skin to fail to protect itself from the sun’s rays, causing horrific burns when exposed to natural light.

Furthermore, it often does not cause immediate pain, meaning victims can continue to burn in the sun without any problem.

A red spot had developed on his hand – and by evening he had what looked like chickenpox on both arms

Giant hogweed carries a sap that causes the skin to fail to protect itself from the sun’s rays, causing horrific burns when exposed to natural light

And the plant can spread its sap with just a moment of exposure.

Mrs Bloomer-Rogers said: “His injuries continued to worsen over time as they were the two hottest days.

‘The more he was exposed to the sun, the more blisters appeared on his hands and arms.

‘The worst they got was huge: a blister on his left hand around the thumb was about the size of a 10 cent piece.

“It wouldn’t stop growing and filling with fluid.”

At the hospital, doctors burst Zach’s blisters and dressed his wounds.

But it’s just the beginning of a long road to recovery.

Danielle said: “Zach doesn’t cope well because he has red marks on his hands and other children question this.

‘He also can’t go out in the sun no matter how often we wash his skin – if he’s in the sun at all he flares up.

Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus but was introduced to Britain and Ireland as an ornamental plant in 1817 and its spread has now gotten out of control

“Zach has missed days of school because of the bad weather and the pain it is causing his hands, and school has also sent him home because his hands turned purple from the sun.”

She continued: ‘Please be careful with children around this horrible plant.

“Zach may never recover from this, and every time the sun shines, he may get a reaction again and again.

‘He went to bed on Sunday night, a week after his exposure, and had trouble breathing.

‘When he woke up he had what appeared to be lumps from a reaction on his neck, his face was swollen and his tongue, throat, eyes and nose were swollen.

“Every time the disease flares up, he will have to take an antihistamine.”

Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus, but was introduced to Britain and Ireland as an ornamental plant in 1817 and its spread has now gotten out of control.

It was called ‘without doubt the most dangerous factory in Britain’ by Mike Duddy of the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust in 2015.

What is giant hogweed?

‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’: Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is found across the country and looks harmless enough but can cause life-changing injuries

Giant hogweed is a non-native species in Great Britain.

It was first introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in the 19th century after being discovered in the Caucasus Mountains and Central Asia.

The plant escaped and became naturalized in the wild and can now be found across much of Britain – especially on riverbanks, as the seeds are transported by water.

The species has been spreading uncontrollably across Scotland for decades, producing up to 50,000 seeds that can survive for many years.

But the juice of the weed, which resembles a giant version of the harmless cow parsley, is extremely poisonous to humans and animals and causes horrific burns to the skin.

The skin remains sensitive to UV light for years and can even cause blindness near the eyes.

Every year, thousands of people, including children and pets, suffer life-changing injuries from giant hogweed after accidentally coming into contact with it in the wild.