Parents call for beach ban on disposable BBQs: Pupil on school trip nearly severs his Achilles tendon on metal as boy is left needing skin grafts after stepping on ‘red hot’ sand
- Alex Gotellier, 12, ripped open his Achilles tendon in June after stepping on BBQ
- He stepped on partially-buried BBQ during school trip to Camber Sands, Sussex
- Will Tyler, from Stockport, needed grafts after stepping on sand covering BBQ
- WARNING: This article contains images of graphic injuries suffered from BBQs
Parents have called for disposable barbeques to be banned after their children were injured by ones that had been discarded on beaches.
Alex Gotellier, 12, ripped open his Achilles tendon in June after stepping on a partially-buried BBQ during a school trip to Camber Sands in East Sussex.
He had to be taken to hospital and have a cast on his foot, whilst his mother Lucy Gotellier, 47, said doctors believed he had severed 70 per cent of his Achilles tendon.
Calling for disposable BBQs to be banned, Ms Gotellier said: ‘People need to know how dangerous disposable barbecues are and I think they should be banned.’
Meanwhile, Will Tyler, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, needed skin grafts and has been left with lifelong scars after stepping on an extremely hot piece of sand where a barbecue had been in June 2020.
His family had moved the barbecue on Formby Beach in Merseyside, West Midlands, hours earlier but the sand was still ‘red hot’ when Will walked over it.
His father Toby Tyler, a schoolteacher from Stockport, Greater Manchester, had to carry his then nine-year-old son for 20 minutes to get him to the family car.
From there he rushed Will to hospital with wife Claire, 44, and daughter Lily, 13.
Will, now 11, suffered burns so severe that he had to have skin grafts from his right thigh to his left foot at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Mr Tyler has since launched a petition calling for a ban. He believes there are ‘far too many risks and dangers’ associated with disposable barbecues.
- GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING: This article contains images of injuries suffered from beach BBQs
Alex Gotellier (pictured), 12, ripped open his Achilles tendon in June after stepping on a partially-buried BBQ during a school trip to Camber Sands in East Sussex
He had to be taken to hospital and have a cast on his foot (pictured), whilst his mother Lucy Gotellier, 47, said doctors believed he had severed 70 per cent of his Achilles tendon
Mr Tyler’s son, who is in Year Six, still has to go back to hospital every six to eight weeks for checks, a process which will continue until he stops growing.
Speaking out just days after seven-year-old girl Simi Adenaike was badly burned in a similar incident in Swansea, Mr Tyler, 52, said disposable barbecues now need to be banned before more people come to harm.
He said the trauma of his son’s injury had had a ‘significant impact’ on him both physically and psychologically.
This includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and ‘severe anxiety attacks’.
Mr Tyler said: ‘He has to wear the compression sock all the time, including at school and in swimming and PE.
‘He has massages twice a day, a splint as well as frequent and regular visits to the hospital’s burns unit and psychosocial support unit.
‘Has to wear special UV shoes – he’s very vulnerable to sunlight so doesn’t get that feeling anymore to walk in the sand.
‘Otherwise – he suffered from quite bad anxiety attacks and there was a strong feeling of PTSD affecting him.
‘I think it’s evolving now and he has been diagnosed with autism since the trauma.
‘I think it has probably always been an issue for Will but the accident has opened or exaggerated pathways.’
He is also backing National BBQ Week’s ‘Ditch the Disposable’ campaign, which calls for the government to introduce legislation that would outlaw the items – more than a million of which end up in landfill every year.
Mr Tyler said: ‘They are awful things and don’t even cook food very well. There are so many reasons not to use them and there are so many far better alternatives.’
National BBQ Week’s founder Brian George said: ‘We have been calling for retailers to Ditch the Disposable since 2020 and this is a prime example of the dire need for a nationwide ban. They may be cheap to buy but they have a heavy environmental price.
Will Tyler (pictured), 11, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, who was badly burnt in an incident involving a disposable barbecue at Formby Beach in Merseyside in June 2022
Will Tyler, 11, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, who was badly burnt (pictured) in an incident involving a disposable barbecue at Formby Beach in Merseyside in June 2022
A picture showing a disposable BBQ on a beach that ended up injuring Will Tyler at Formby Beach, Merseyside
‘Whilst some national retailers have already put partial bans in place, it’s simply not enough, retailers need to enforce a complete ban or else the UK government needs to step in and enforce a ban.
‘In the meantime, I would encourage shoppers to send them a clear message not to buy them and that they have no place on shop shelves in 2022. As we’ve said many, many times, Ditch the Disposable.’
Ms Gotellier’s son, who is a pupil at St Ronan’s School in Hawkhurst, Kent, had to be taken to A&E due to the severity of his injuries.
The concerned mother said doctors believe the metal cut through between half and 70 per cent of the tendon.
She said: ‘He had to be carried off the beach by his teachers. There was blood everywhere. He was in a lot of pain and shock.’
Alex had been told he could have to wait another two weeks for the operation needed to stitch up his Achilles tendon but luckily doctors were able to operate on him the next day.
Alex is in a cast for the next six weeks and his injury could affect him long-term.
He can’t go on a cricket course over the summer and cannot manage full days at school.
His mother said: ‘If he’d had to wait I think it might not have gone so well and Alex would probably be in bad pain.
‘He’s really upset about it. His injury could affect him long-term, but we will have to wait and see.
‘Everyone was so shocked when it happened.
However, she added that he is doing ‘brilliantly’ and is recovering well at home in Benenden, Kent.
She is hoping what happened to Alex will raise some awareness on how dangerous it is when disposable barbecues are left on the beach.
She added: ‘The people who left the barbecue on the beach were deeply irresponsible.
‘They need to know their behaviour causes damage, hence why I am raising awareness.’
A ban on single-use barbecues on beaches and open spaces was brought in Brighton last week in a bid to tackle safety and environmental issues.
Anyone not complying could be hit with a fixed penalty notice.
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