‘Thank God for fluffy bed socks!’

A Welshpool businesswoman suffered some nasty burns to her feet after her water bottle burst during the early hours of Sunday.

The incident has prompted the partner of Ambercabs owner, Rhian Suddell, to issue an urgent warning to be cautious as the cold nights take a grip.

Michael Davies said that the pair had returned home from a long Saturday night shift at around 4.30am, and were settling in for the night when the accident happened, resulting in an urgent dash to Shrewsbury A&E.

“We’d put the kettle on for a cuppa and to fill the water bottle to warm the bed,” said Michael.

“We got into bed to settle in and as I was reading, Rhian moved the water bottle with her feet and let out a huge scream before jumping out of bed with a look of absolute shock.

“It was a good job that Rhian had her fluffy bed socks on as well as it could have been so much worse! After ripping those off and getting in a cold shower, I rang Shropdoc and they advised us to go to Shrewsbury immediately.

“By this time, Rhian was on the settee visibly pale and shaking quite badly. We got to hospital at around 5.30am where we saw a nurse who dressed the wounds, then waited for a doctor to come and assess how bad it was and what was to be done.”

The couple had to wait an agonising five-and-a-half hours for the doctor due to a large traffic accident. But eventually Rhian’s wounds were cleaned with the blisters popped and the dead skin, which had by this time slid off the sides of her feet, trimmed away. The wounds were redressed and Rhian was sent home to begin her recovery.

The couple have been able to reflect on what happened, and it has prompted them to warn others of the dangers.

“We’ve both put warnings up on Facebook as the doctor told us that this kind of accident is not uncommon,” said Michael. “As the weather is turning and more people are starting to use water bottles, we need to tell people to use with caution so they don’t end up in the same situation or worse than we have.”