Families' horror at weed injuries in Brighton fields

1:00pm Saturday 25th August 2012 in News

Denise Barnard with son Liam barnard, Lisa Ford with son Danny, Archie Hammond with mum Theresa and Lewis Charlesworth Buy this photo » Denise Barnard with son Liam barnard, Lisa Ford with son Danny, Archie Hammond with mum Theresa and Lewis Charlesworth

Four teenagers were left with blisters, burns and scratches caused by weeds found growing next to a playing field.

The 15-year-olds needed antibiotics and antihistamine treatment following the incident and two may need further dermatology treatment to prevent permanent scarring.

Their parents have raised concerns about how the plant, believed to be hogweed, was able to grow so high right next to a public area.

The field is used by children of all ages as well as dog walkers.

The council has now removed the weeds, which had reached a height of 4ft, and cleared the area.

However the parents of the teenagers fear they may return and say warning signs should be put in place.

The incident happened on playing fields at Happy Valley, Woodingdean, when Danny Ford, Liam Barnard, Archie Hammond and Lewis Charlesworth were training for Rottingdean FC Under-16s.

They had all run into the grassy area after a football and then started having a bad reaction.

Huge blisters

Lisa Ford, 46, from Woodingdean, said: “Danny developed welts and big orange blisters – he looked like he had been whipped and his skin was all burned. They were really, really painful.

“He also had marks on his face where he had wiped away sweat after his hands had touched the plants. He was in a lot of pain.

“It was only a few days later that I realised the other boys had been badly affected as well.

“We went down to the playing fields to take a look and were pretty shocked.

“I have used the area and walked my dogs down here for 11 years and I had never seen the grass that high.

“It should not have been allowed to get to that state.

“If a smaller child had run through that grass, or a dog, it could have caused a lot of damage.”

Denise Barnard, from Saltdean, was shocked when she saw what had happened to her son Liam.

She said: “He came home and said it felt like he had been burnt. At first I didn’t think too much but he woke up the next day and his skin was covered in blisters and he had burn marks on his arms and legs.

“We’re worried now that he may be really badly scarred and will need further treatment.

“We were surprised the grass got that tall.”

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said there had been no other reports of incidents around the city.

She said: “As soon as we became aware of this incident, the council cut down vegetation in the whole field to prevent a recurrence. By cutting the whole area where the plants were, we believe we have eliminated the risk of it happening again.”

Comments(30)

rolivan says...
1:31pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Seeds will germinate and the weeds will be back.The area either needs fencing off or cultivating into an extra lawn area if possible.

Report this post »

Isaac Rinkfern says...
1:46pm Sat 25 Aug 12

How about education instead of nanying, as a kid I was taught about hogweed and other plants that could be harmful, I didn't need everything in nature labelled for me.
I saw some poisonous fungi the other day should I have insisted on a sign too.

Report this post »

rolivan says...
2:22pm Sat 25 Aug 12

So young children are playing in the field and their ball goes into the long grass and weed. Do they stop and look in their book on Flora and make sure that there isn't anything noxious or do they just run in and get their ball.I am not one for all that goes on with Health and Safety,however the Council do have a Duty of Care it is their land.If you had noxious weeds growing in your front Garden the Council would be down on you like a Ton of Bricks.

Report this post »

Isaac Rinkfern says...
2:27pm Sat 25 Aug 12

If kids can recognise stinging nettles then why not other plant species, it's not rocket science.

The story does say "next to a public area", which suggests that it wasn't part of the playing field in my book.

Report this post »

rolivan says...
2:39pm Sat 25 Aug 12

She said: “As soon as we became aware of this incident, the council cut down vegetation in the whole field to prevent a recurrence. By cutting the whole area where the plants were, we believe we have eliminated the risk of it happening again.”

Report this post »

Hove Actually says...
2:57pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Isaac Rinkfern wrote:
If kids can recognise stinging nettles then why not other plant species, it's not rocket science.

The story does say "next to a public area", which suggests that it wasn't part of the playing field in my book.
Not rocket science but I wouldn't know what it looked like, and NEXT to a public area means children will be reclaiming balls or just exploring.
You are probably a council worker and no one cares about "your" book

Report this post »

Mo Carter says...
3:39pm Sat 25 Aug 12

My friend has just told me about this situation. One of my dogs had to be taken to the vets on Thursday,the day after visiting Happy Valley Park. His area between his legs was red raw due to irritation so bad, it too looked like he had been scolded, Now I know why.

Report this post »

VoxUnpopuli says...
5:26pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Hove Actually wrote:
Isaac Rinkfern wrote:
If kids can recognise stinging nettles then why not other plant species, it's not rocket science.

The story does say "next to a public area", which suggests that it wasn't part of the playing field in my book.
Not rocket science but I wouldn't know what it looked like, and NEXT to a public area means children will be reclaiming balls or just exploring.
You are probably a council worker and no one cares about "your" book
Don't care was made to care my Nan used to say. I'd say that applies to eejits who run around in the wild with shorts and tees (see pic). Nature is not nice and there are plenty more plants like Nettles and Hogweed that are poisonous, prickly or rash inducing. The Council cannot be there to hold your hand wherever you go!

Report this post »

RottingdeanRant says...
5:48pm Sat 25 Aug 12

From the photo in the paper it looks more like Ragwort than Hogweed as the plants shown are yellow.

Report this post »

lillylou says...
7:48pm Sat 25 Aug 12

As usual the dopey council arnt cutting nothing except lam post lights !

Report this post »

Maxwell's Ghost says...
7:53pm Sat 25 Aug 12

I shall send the council a weed notice as they are doing to their allotment holders.
No doubt the council spokesman will say: the exceptionally wet weather has caused weeds to grow more quickly and higher than normal years and we have been unable to make as many cuts as required to control them."
However, that excuse is not acceptable for allotment holders but lets see what excuse they have for their weeds.

Report this post »

farang says...
8:55pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Giant Hogweed is not a 'notifiable weed' so the local authority has no obligation to remove it sit is down to members of the public to exercise caution in areas where it has high abundance, which could be just about anywhere.
So, it has been an unpleasant experience for the young people , however, doubtless they will show caution in future.
One of those lessons in life which, sadly nowadays, are seen as newsworthy by those who look to the nanny state to solve their problems.

Report this post »

thewhitehawker says...
9:36pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Just shows what **** the next generation of kids are ! With their crap diet , calpol , regular anti biotics ,caesarian births,and lack of exercise and sunlight these kids have become highly sensitive to WEEDS . Yeah thats right i highlighted it lol. When i was a kid i used to go on summer camp every year with the scouts and used to run through brambles and stinging nettle scrub with just shorts on my legs . Yeah i used to have a sore stinging legs but i could take the pain . This next generation are genetic disasters . Lets hope we never have to fight a war physically !

Report this post »

Morpheus says...
10:18pm Sat 25 Aug 12

I think they were triffids. Let's kill everything that grows before they take over the world.

Report this post »

redwing says...
2:16am Sun 26 Aug 12

thewhitehawker wrote:
Just shows what **** the next generation of kids are ! With their crap diet , calpol , regular anti biotics ,caesarian births,and lack of exercise and sunlight these kids have become highly sensitive to WEEDS . Yeah thats right i highlighted it lol. When i was a kid i used to go on summer camp every year with the scouts and used to run through brambles and stinging nettle scrub with just shorts on my legs . Yeah i used to have a sore stinging legs but i could take the pain . This next generation are genetic disasters . Lets hope we never have to fight a war physically !
For all that, I bet you never went rolling in the Ragwort or Giant Hogweed. Brambles and stinging nettles are not valid comparisons. Get out there and try it.

Report this post »

PorkBoat says...
3:33am Sun 26 Aug 12

redwing wrote:
thewhitehawker wrote:
Just shows what **** the next generation of kids are ! With their crap diet , calpol , regular anti biotics ,caesarian births,and lack of exercise and sunlight these kids have become highly sensitive to WEEDS . Yeah thats right i highlighted it lol. When i was a kid i used to go on summer camp every year with the scouts and used to run through brambles and stinging nettle scrub with just shorts on my legs . Yeah i used to have a sore stinging legs but i could take the pain . This next generation are genetic disasters . Lets hope we never have to fight a war physically !
For all that, I bet you never went rolling in the Ragwort or Giant Hogweed. Brambles and stinging nettles are not valid comparisons. Get out there and try it.
I wipe my arse with Ragwort, and rub my **** with Giant Hogweed. Twice a day. Every day. Never does me any harm.

Report this post »

PorkBoat says...
3:36am Sun 26 Aug 12

I am slightly the worse for wear due to alcohol, despite my still meticulous writing style and perfect speeling and gramer. *Hic*

Report this post »

Tammy Flugh says...
12:32pm Sun 26 Aug 12

"he looked like he had been whipped".
Fifty Shades Of Hogweed"

Report this post »

getThisCoalitionOut says...
3:42pm Sun 26 Aug 12

I've never even heard of Hogweed before reading this article! I'm not young either, far from it. I would expect the council to cut it down and make sure it's killed off - so others don't suffer and also for dogs as they would get badly hurt in this as one lady has already mentioned - it costs a fortune to take a dog to the vets so don't keep critising others for making a fuss, not everyone can afford vets bills thank you.

Report this post »

getThisCoalitionOut says...
3:49pm Sun 26 Aug 12

Here's some pictures of it so you can be on the look out and avoid it! http://y2u.co.uk/&00
2_Images/Hogweed%200
1.htm

Report this post »

Leon says...
6:55pm Sun 26 Aug 12

1. Just google'd hogweed - thanks argus for including a photo or link in this informative article.

2. Now that I know what it looks like, it left me and my family saying "oh, that's hogweed...." the weed we grew up with in the countryside and never had a problem with. Precisely what were they doing with it.

3. I was violently attacked by a rosebush recently whilst in Dyke Road Park. Any plans B&H council?

Report this post »

RogerWQ says...
9:21pm Sun 26 Aug 12

Giant hogweed is dangerous - you are not likely to feel anything at the time of contact to warn you off (unlike nettles and thorns for example). Contact with the eyes could result in blindness.

Quote: "Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Duty of Care Regulations 1991, hogweed infested soil or plant material must be removed to a licensed landfill site for disposal accompanied by appropriate Waste Transfer documentation."

It is not enough just to cut it down.

Report this post »

thewhitehawker says...
9:38pm Sun 26 Aug 12

RogerWQ wrote:
Giant hogweed is dangerous - you are not likely to feel anything at the time of contact to warn you off (unlike nettles and thorns for example). Contact with the eyes could result in blindness.

Quote: "Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Duty of Care Regulations 1991, hogweed infested soil or plant material must be removed to a licensed landfill site for disposal accompanied by appropriate Waste Transfer documentation."

It is not enough just to cut it down.
Thanku Roger i have just read up on Hogweed it sounds very dangerous

Report this post »

chrisinbrighton says...
2:44pm Mon 27 Aug 12

Isn't Hogweed a house in Harry Potter ?

Report this post »

vivelavive says...
3:05pm Mon 27 Aug 12

And this is news?

Report this post »

minnie&teddy says...
6:01pm Mon 27 Aug 12

this weed is growing everywhere as the council are just not cutting the grass enough,it gets more pathetic every day nothing gets done like it did therefore we are over run with this sort of growth,the kids are not wimps and i can imagine the pain and discomfort they are having.

Report this post »

Idontbelieveit1948 says...
7:59pm Mon 27 Aug 12

We are told "The council has now removed the weeds, which had reached a height of 4ft, and cleared the area."

Any chance of doing the verges around town, plenty of them are over feet high now !

Report this post »

hubby says...
8:39pm Mon 27 Aug 12

Most 15 year olds in Woodingdean and Saltdean just smoke weed.
As for the whitehawker running away from his scoutmaster in his shorts!!!!!!

Since when was anybody from Whitehawk in the scouts???

I am 52 and even when I was a kid there was no scout group in Whitehawk.
It might be a coincidence,but the closest was in Kemp Town.

Report this post »

lorrie1 says...
9:27pm Mon 27 Aug 12

They probably thought it was the smokable kind of weed.

Report this post »

Idontbelieveit1948 says...
8:09pm Tue 28 Aug 12

I wipe my arse with Ragwort, and rub my **** with Giant Hogweed. Twice a day. Every day. Never does me any harm says PorkBoat

Well, this explains a lot !

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree