A mum has shared an urgent warning to parents across the country after her son suffered horrific third degree burns from hogweed.
Jayden Bird, nine, was playing with his siblings on a family camping holiday on August 16, when his leg rubbed against the toxic weed near some trees on the campsite where they were staying.
Within minutes his right leg was covered in red marks and 16 hours later, they erupted into pus-filled blisters, leaving him in agony.
Hogweed, dubbed 'Britain's most dangerous plant', can grow to over four metres (13ft) and is widespread along riverbanks, footpaths and canal towpaths, but can also found in any green space.
It can cause a host of harmful side effects if it comes into contact with human skin, including painful burns and blisters and life-changing scars.
The recent hot weather has also created ideal conditions for hogweed to grow across the country, with lockdown making it increasingly difficult to keep under control.
Doctors said the third-degree burns Jayden has suffered from will leave scars which could last a number of years.
The nine-year-old Liverpool FC fan said he doesn't want to wear shorts outside anymore.
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Jayden's mum Carly wants to warn other parents to keep an eye out for the plant, which she said looked "quite attractive" to the untrained eye.
The 31-year-old careworker from Warwickshire, said: "The poor boy, the blisters are so big and look so sore, I am just so glad that none of my other children were hurt from this horrid plant, Jayden has suffered enough".
"It doesn’t look like a nasty plant - it looks quite attractive.
"It's not a surprise that kids would naturally go up to it without knowing it’s the UK’s most poisonous plant.
“He’s lucky it didn’t go on his face as if it had gone in his eye he would have gone blind."
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Jayden and his family were camping at Bosworth Water Trust in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, when he was stung on August 16.
He was playing with other children near trees and brushed the plant for a few seconds while he ran past.
It was immediately itchy and sore, but hour by hour the rash grew larger, until huge blisters appeared.
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Not realising it was hogweed, they drove home, before taking Jayden to the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.
Medics said it was a third degree burn from hogweed, and covered the burns in bandages.
They gave him antibiotics, painkillers and cream.
Jayden is now worried about wearing shorts during PE and doesn't want to go camping again.
According to the NHS website hogweed looks like "innocuous cow parsley with white flowers clustered in an umbrella-shaped head that is up to 80cm in diameter".
Hogweed can grow up to five metres tall.
A mild winter, sunny days and lots of rain has created ideal conditions for the plant, and specialists have been less able to tackle it due to lockdown.
Bosworth Water Trust campsite has been approached for comment.
