Urgent warning to Brits who use hot water bottles to keep warm in the winter

21 November 2023 , 11:54

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When it's cold, people turn to hot water bottles (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images/Cultura RF)

As Brits try to save money on heating, they may reach for their trusty hot water bottle as an alternative way to stay toasty - but experts have warned that they may come with serious dangers.

Those turning to their hot water bottle as the temperatures drop have been warned that they pose a potential danger, as some people have been rushed to hospital with burns after their hot water bottles have split, reports MyLondon. Consumer expert Alice Beer said that she was contacted on Instagram by a parent whose child had shockingly suffered from third-degree burns after her hot water bottle split - and she wanted to raise awareness.

Alice explained that this is sadly a fairly common issue, explaining that Chelsea and Westminster hospital see people suffering burns from hot water bottles at least once a week.

She went on to add: "Half of hot water bottle injuries need skin grafts and surgeries. These are not surface burns, these go really deep." Alice has also warned against using a hot water bottle for many years, as they do actually have a use-by date which many people have no idea about.

She explained that a hot water bottle with normal usage tends to last up to three years, and after that time period, people should look to treat themselves to a new one to avoid accidents. Demonstrating how people can find out the date on the hot water bottle, she explained: "You don't know about it because this is a brand new hot water bottle in a fluffy cover. Why would you ever take it off unless it got dirty? I'm sorry, but I think this is the worst system for printing a date because it's so confusing.

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"Inside you have got a daisy wheel date. It's got 12 segments and in the middle of this one, you have got a 22. This one was made in 2022. Then you have 12 segments around the outside and those are the months. You can tell the month it was manufactured from when the dots end. It's got dots in eight segments so it was made in August." The number of dots in the segments indicates the week it was made.

Alice's hot water bottle had three dots in the segment so it was made in the third week of August 2022, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Danielle Kate Wroe