Giant hogweed warning: Four year old girl left with scarring 'popping black blisters'

Her mum, Keri Beacall, found burns on her legs and despite wearing leggings, the plant's sap had reacted on her skin as she brushed past the deadly plant.

Waters was taken to Arrowe Park Hospital after her wounds worsened before been transferred to the burns unit at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

"It was really bad by then. The whole thing was just blisters, and they were popping and going black. That was the worst part," Beacall told the Daily Mail.

"She was absolutely in agony with it until they cleaned it. She was complaining constantly that it was hurting her. It’s mentally scarred her really. She’s a little tomboy who loves climbing, and now it’s just constantly like ‘mum, is that hogweed?’"

Giant hogweed has a tall, parsley-like appearance with thick bristly stems and can grow to heights between 1.5m and 5m, according to The Woodland Trust.

Toxic sap from the weed, which tends to be found sprouting near canals and rivers, can lead to increased skin sensitivity to sunlight which then leads to burns.

The mum added: “It’s just heartbreaking because she’s just got no fear normally. They said it will scar her for life – because she’s ginger, she’s quite fair-skinned so it’s noticeable as well.”

She was told by doctors that her daughter's injuries were somewhere between a boiling water burn, and a burn inflicted by fire.

“Normally, I always put shorts and t-shirts on her; all through summer she’s worn shorts. But on this day, it was raining, and something – I don’t know what – told me put leggings on her," Beacall said.

"I think, if I didn’t put those leggings on her, how much worse would it have been? Because it would have been directly on her skin.”

The mum from Birkenhead is now warning other parents about the dangers of giant hogweed.

She said: “It’s been heartbreaking, seeing what my daughter has gone through,” she said. “Literally, we’ve just walked. She’s walked along and she’s literally just brushed past it.

"I just want to make parents aware of how dangerous this plant is, because there’s plenty of kids like my little girl who run through woodlands and like to explore.”

A spokesperson for Forestry England, which manages Delamere Forest, said they were not aware of anybody being burned by giant hogweed at the site, nor of the plant being present there.

They said: “Recently, a minor presented with rash-like symptoms during their visit, and the child was given first aid assistance by our recreation team and advised to seek medical attention.

“However the cause of the rash was unknown. Across the forests and woodlands we manage, where giant hogweed is present, we have a management plan in place which includes displaying safety signage.

"Where giant hogweed is identified in very busy public areas, including popular recreation destinations like Delamere Forest, this would be immediately removed.”