Four teenage boys and a seven-year-old girl have been left with severe burns after coming into contact with a toxic plant growing in parks.
The boys brushed against some giant hogweed when they were playing in Moses Gate Country Park, Bolton, on Saturday.
While Annie Challinor has been left with a permanent scar after her arm blistered from brushing against a dangerous plant during a family walk at Clifton Country Park, Salford.
Their families are now warning of the dangers of the plant, which contains chemicals known as photo-sensitising furanocoumarins. These chemicals prevent the body from protecting itself from UV light and can lead to severe burns.
In all of the cases, a red rash developed on the children’s skin, which grew increasingly more painful and then began to blister
Two of the boys, who both attend Harper Green School, required hospital treatment and are currently on a cocktail of drugs to deal with the pain.
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