Beachgoers in Wales have described suffering severe burns to their feet after walking on hot sand where they had earlier been enjoying barbecues. Their injuries, which landed them in hospital and off work, have prompted warnings from medics at Morriston Hospital Burns' Centre.
Sam Knight's ordeal
Sam Knight, a 27-year-old mechanical engineer, was unable to walk for a fortnight after burning himself at a family barbecue at Cefn Sidan beach at Pembrey Country Park earlier this year. He said: "It was a family gathering and it was a windy day so there was sand in everyone's eyes. When we'd finished with the barbecue I used tongs to move it to one side and extinguished it, so I thought it was safe."
"But the patch of sand it had been on was still boiling, and after I stepped on it I had to be carried off the beach. I went to the Minor Injury Unit at Neath Port Talbot Hospital but they just patched me up and told me there the burns were so deep I needed to go to the Burns' Centre at Morriston. I couldn't walk for a couple of weeks so I had to take a fortnight off work."
When he had recovered enough to return to the beach, Sam decided to put his work skills into practice and returned to the shore to carry out an experiment. He fired up two disposable barbecues, placing one directly onto the sand, and another raised 40mm off it. When he measured the sand under the first, it recorded a temperature of 244°. The barbecue raised from the sand kept it close to the ambient temperature under the conditions tested.
"The packaging advised raising the barbecue from the surface, but it didn't provide any way to do so, and suggested locating some bricks at the location it was being used," Sam said.
Melanie Holbrook's experience
Melanie Holbrook was also badly burned after using a disposable barbecue at Oxwich Bay on Gower with her husband. They had disposed of it sensibly to make it safe, but moments later she stepped on the sand where the barbecue had been, feeling instant excruciating pain under her feet.
She said: "When I looked, the bottoms of my feet were burnt yellow. The heat from the barbecue had gone straight into the sand. I had no idea that could happen. My husband poured water over my feet and ran for help. They got my feet into a container with cold water and moved me over to the shade with my feet under running water until the ambulance came."
"I ended up in A&E in Morriston Hospital and then in the Burns' Centre. The skin on my feet was badly blistered and had to be removed. I had weeks of treatment, with regular dressing changes and check-ups. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone. It took weeks for the skin on my feet to heal and it took about four to five months before I could properly walk again and I still get some sensitivity even now."
By chance, Swansea Bay UHB physiotherapist David Fligelstone was close by on the beach when Mrs Holbrook experienced her burns, and was one of those who came to her aid. He said: "Having worked both as an RNLI lifeguard and later as a physiotherapist on the Burns Unit at Morriston Hospital, I've seen first-hand the devastating impact these injuries can have."
"What makes them particularly concerning is that the danger is often invisible – once a disposable BBQ has been removed, the sand beneath can remain hot enough to cause serious burns for a considerable time. These injuries are entirely preventable. A simple action, such as thoroughly cooling the sand with water after removing a disposable BBQ, can prevent severe injuries, particularly in children. This summer we want people to enjoy our beaches safely while helping to prevent avoidable injuries before they happen."
Urgent safety appeal
Consultant surgeon Jeremy Yarrow said a recent review of data from the International Burn Injury Database (IBID) highlights a worrying and continuous rise in disposable BBQ-related injuries over the past few years. He added: "As burn care specialists on the front line at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery, we are issuing an urgent public safety appeal regarding a severe and entirely preventable summer hazard: thermal burn injuries caused by disposable barbecues on our beaches."
"While many associate barbecues with open flames, a significant proportion of the severe injuries we treat in hospital stem from an invisible trap: super-heated sand beneath the grill. Sand absorbs intense heat from disposable barbecues, reaching temperatures upwards of 400°C that persist for hours after the barbecue unit itself has been removed or extinguished. To an unsuspecting child running barefoot or a beachgoer stepping onto the beach hours later or pet, this hidden hazard can inflict devastating, full-thickness burns in a fraction of a second."
Morriston Hospital Burns' Centre has now issued a warning to people thinking of enjoying al fresco cooking when they visit Wales' beaches because of the way sand retains high temperatures even when disposable barbecues have been disposed of responsibly.
To protect family and fellow beach users, people using disposable barbecues are urged to follow three vital safety practices:
- Raise the BBQ off the sand. Never place a disposable barbecue directly on the beach; always elevate it using stones, bricks, or a dedicated stand to prevent heat from transferring to the sand underneath.
- Cool both the BBQ and the sand with water. Once you have finished cooking, douse the barbecue and the sand beneath it thoroughly with seawater, ensuring the ground is completely cold to the touch before leaving. We strongly warn against burying hot barbecues or glowing embers in the sand. Covering coals with sand does not extinguish them—it acts as an insulator, turning the sand into a hidden oven that poses danger to other beach users and animals.
- Dispose of the cooled BBQ safely by placing it in a designated hot-ash bin or taking it home with you.
Should an accident occur, immediate and correct first aid is critical to improving outcomes and reduce the depth of the burn. People are advised to follow what doctors term 'the three Cs':
- Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes (do not use ice or butter).
- Call 999 for emergencies or NHS 111 for clinical advice—all beach sand burns in children require urgent medical assessment.
- Cover the wound loosely with clean cling film to protect the damaged skin.
