Man in 'burning pain' after mistaking antibacterial wipes for toilet paper

A man was left in agony after mistaking antibacterial wipes for regular toilet paper wipes. Leon Gleed was left with a "burning pain" around his rear end after using the wipes for several days.

Leon, 31, said that his girlfriend bought Tesco's Active Flushable Toilet Wipes from a local branch in Risca, south Wales, in July 2022. She put them in the bathroom so they were nearby when the loo needed cleaned.

But Leon didn't realise their true function and, after a few days of using them during his trips to the toilet, he developed a bad rash. After checking the packet and realising what he had been doing, he told his girlfriend, Sadie Williams, who burst out laughing.

Although Leon admits it was a daft mistake, he believes that the product should have been labelled more clearly to avoid confusion. Speaking at the time, he said: "I thought the product was wet wipes you use to go to the toilet with - but as it turned out, that wasn't the case.

"When I developed the soreness I knew something wasn't quite right and when I checked the packaging it said 'kills 99 per cent of bacteria'.

"Sadie said to me 'how can you be so stupid', but I think cleaning products should have warning labels on them so they're more identifiable.

"I've come through the worst of it now - I had to use Sudocrem down there for a week! Being a lorry driver it was hard to get in and out of the truck for a while because of the constant chafing and burning pain.

"The only way I can describe it is like the night after a hot curry but ten times worse! I know it was a silly mistake to make but I'm convinced there's other people out there who have done the same!"

A spokesperson for Tesco said: "We were sorry to hear about this. We make the labelling on our packaging as clear as possible for customers. Our toilet roll and related products are also in a separate aisle in the Risca Extra from these cleaning wipes."

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