Boy told to stay out of sunlight this summer after reaction to weed

A nursery tot suffered such severe burns from giant hogweed that he must wear long-sleeved tops and avoid sunlight throughout his final summer of freedom before starting school. Autumn and Steven Mckown had jetted off on holiday from their home in Hungerford, Berkshire, to Dublin, Ireland, on Friday, April 19, with their four-year-old son Bentley for a softball game.

The youngster went off to play in the bushes with other children while waiting for his parents, who were representing the Manchester team The Travelling Dodgers on the field on April 20. But, after re-emerging from the bushes, Autumn claims Bentley began to scratch his left arm and it became red and raised.

At first, the 27-year-old believed her son had stung himself on a stinging nettle and thought nothing of it. It was only when blisters started appearing on his forearm that she called the doctors and claims it was confirmed the burns were caused by a giant hogweed plant.

Kennedy News/Autumn McKown

Horrifying photos show Bentley's arm covered in bulging blisters and red sores. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the sap from giant hogweed plants can cause severe burns on human skin due to its reaction with sunlight.

The mum-of-one claims Bentley's skin may take months to heal and says she has been advised to keep him out of sunlight and to wear long-sleeved tops all summer. Autumn, from Hungerford in Berkshire, said: "We noticed that Bentley was scratching his arm and he said he had been stung by a stinging nettle.

"We didn't think much of it as we thought this was just going to go away and he didn't mention it again, but when we got back to our hotel room that evening we noticed his arm was going really red and raised up. When we woke up on Sunday I was like 'wow'. It was raised and had blisters all over it [his arm].

"It looked really painful and his whole arm was covered in small raised blisters and then he had one big bubbled blister the size of a two pence piece which looked really bad. I immediately started researching the types of plants found in Ireland online and hogweed was the first thing that came up.

"It said that if the sap from the hogweed plant gets on your skin and then the sun activates it, that's what causes the blistering and the burning. Bentley will have to wear long sleeves this summer to keep it covered and not go in the sun too much.

"We play softball every weekend and love going camping. Bentley is also a boy and just wants to get out in the back garden with his t-shirt off and run around so he can't really do that [this summer]. Bentley's a little aggravated that he can't play in the water play at nursery at the moment.

"I've been researching recovery time and it can take months to heal. Even after the blisters have popped and healed, you can be left with discolouration on your arm, which are very sensitive to sunshine."

After being prescribed a steroid cream for his burns, Bentley will have to keep his arm bandaged for a few weeks as it begins to heal. And following her son's nasty reaction, Autumn is now keen to raise awareness of the dangers of the plant and wants parents to be more vigilant about where their children play.

Autumn, who is married to Steven, 28, said: "I will definitely be more vigilant of Bentley [now]. Obviously kids can't always be vigilant and know about these plants but hogweed injuries can be very serious and we're lucky it was just on his arm. I have read stories where people have had it all over their body and had to be hospitalised for it.

"My advice to parents would be definitely be vigilant for your kids and look around the area where they're playing before you let them. I will just be more mindful now before sending Bentley off to play."

Giant hogweed is invasive and potentially harmful and the chemicals in the sap can cause photodermatitis or photosensitivity, where the skin becomes very sensitive to sunlight and may suffer blistering, pigmentation and long-lasting scars.