Mother horrified as daughter’s skin ‘melts and bubbles’ when Primark hot water bottle spills on her

A mother has told of her horror after a Primark hot water bottle spilled boiling liquid on her daughter, causing her skin to ‘bulge and melt’.

Michelle Wescott heard a “blood-curdling” scream coming from the kitchen before finding her teenage daughter in agony.

Sydney, 15, had decided to make herself a hot water bottle to relieve her “excruciating” menstrual pain.

But when she sat down to eat, boiling water covered her thighs and stomach.

Now more than 10 percent of Sydney’s skin is blistered and hyperpigmented, and Michelle hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of using kettle hot water bottles.

“My little girl’s skin started bubbling before my eyes and my mind went numb with the sheer horror,” said Michelle, a Bristol high school attendee.

“At first I blamed myself, thinking the lid wasn’t on properly and wondering how I could have let something like this slip at the expense of my daughter.

“I went into survival mode as did my daughter, Paige, and my husband, Richard, as we all worked together to make sure she was okay because I know timing is everything when it comes to burns.”

The mother added, “What I did then and there would determine the outcome.

“But as my husband continually dipped her skin in cold water, I couldn’t help but feel terrified as her skin continued to bubble and melt away.”

In a statement, Primark warned: ‘All our hot water bottles come with instructions for use on both the product label and the hot water bottle itself, with a warning not to use boiling water.’

Michelle called 999 and an ambulance arrived 20 minutes later, where the teen was given pain relief and had her burns wrapped in cling film before being taken to hospital with a blue light in November 2022.

While there, Sydney was given more pain medication before doctors unwrapped the cling film to examine the damage.

The burn team performed emergency debridement surgery, scraping away the top layer of damaged skin.

Over the next three weeks, the family worked together to ensure a speedy recovery, using yoga blocks to support the leg so the teen could sit and making regular visits to the hospital to have the bandages changed.

Michelle, trying to stay strong, found the whole ordeal “heartbreaking” and recalls being “shocked” by the condition of her daughter’s leg.

She said, “Because her skin couldn’t crust over because air couldn’t get to the wound, her thigh turned a deep purple and the tissue was so thin I could see her blood vessels.

‘In recent months it has changed in all kinds of colors, from red to blue to pink.

“Since then she has been told to be very careful with the wound, but there have been a few occasions where she has torn the skin with a nail during exercise to regain her muscle strength – which is not pretty.”

Michelle claims a slit in the Primark water bottle had caused boiling water to pour out and all of the protective coating had worn off.

She claims to have bought it from the brand a year ago and that the item has a warning label saying it should be replaced every two years due to internal deterioration causing deterioration in quality.

However, in a statement, Primark stated that the label also includes a notice not to use boiling water.

The family reportedly received £250 as a goodwill gesture from the company.

But they now hope to raise awareness to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

The mother of two said: ‘I’m so shocked because I’ve always filled hot water bottles straight from the kettle.

“Now we use microwaveable wheat bags or TENS machines instead to help with menstrual cramps.

“Sydney will be scarred for life, but she’s pushing through the treatment, no matter how painful, and her skin keeps getting better.

“It hasn’t been as easy as throwing the jug out and being done with it because this will be a lifelong trauma that she will have to deal with.

“I had been worried about how this would affect her mentally, but she’s been incredible and I couldn’t be more proud of how well she handled this, especially with such courage.

“If you do use a jug, don’t use boiling water—it’s not worth the risk.”

Sydney added: ‘If I can help someone and prevent someone from filling a hot water bottle straight from the kettle then at least something positive has come out of what happened to me.

“I can’t change what happened, but I can work to make a change for someone else.”

A Primark spokesperson said: ‘We were very sorry to hear about this customer’s experience.

‘We take the safety and quality of our products very seriously and all our hot water bottles are tested and meet UK and European standards for safety, quality and labelling.’

MailOnline has contacted Primark for comment.