Man gets third-degree burns from hot sand after using disposable beach BBQ

Warning: This article contains a distressing image

A man who suffered third-degree burns from hot sand after using a disposable barbecue on a beach has warned others to be aware of the dangers.

Sam Knight had been using it on Cefn Sidan Beach, Carmarthenshire, with his family and stepped on sand that was still hot.

The 27-year-old had to be carried off the beach after suffering badly blistered feet and needed weeks of treatment.

Experts at a burns centre say injuries such as this are becoming increasingly common and warned beach goers to take precautions.

Knight told Radio Wales Breakfast he was not aware that sand could be a "real hazard".

He had used tongs to move the barbecue to one side and extinguished it, so he thought it was safe.

"When I returned to the area, I stepped on a boiling hot patch of sand, and had to be carried off the beach," he added.

Knight was taken to Neath Port Talbot Hospital referred to a burns specialist.

"I couldn't walk for a couple of weeks so I had to take a fortnight off work," he added.

David Fligelstone and Menna Davies are physiotherapists who work with the burns centre at Swansea Bay University Health Board.

Fligelstone said the number of incidents they are seeing is "going up year on year".

"The key thing is that people don't understand is that sand stays hot for such a long time after a barbecue is moved," he said.

"When you look at the evidence it's always the sand that hasn't been cooled that ends up causing that injury."

Davies said injuries like this can be "quite painful" and need to be dressed for a "long period of time".

The NHS says:

• Hold the burn or scald under cool running water for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the pain feels better. If there is no running water available, use cool bottled water

• Remove clothing or jewellery that is near the affected area, but do not remove anything that is stuck to skin

• When the burn or scald has cooled, lay cling film over it, if possible. Do not wrap the cling film around it

Following his recovery, Knight decided to conduct an experiment with two disposable barbecues.

He found that raising the barbecue from the sand kept it closer to the ambient temperature.

Swansea Bay Health Board recommended using stones, bricks or a dedicated stand to prevent heat transferring to the sand.

Used barbecues should also be disposed of by placing in a designated hot-ash bin or taken home.

The health board said all beach sand burns in children required urgent medical assessment.