A 25-year-old mother from Devon was rushed to hospital after wearing a pair of Primark sandals for just 40 minutes, developing a severe infection that left her foot swollen and oozing pus. Jess Bache, a mother of two, said she feared her foot would 'explode' as the blister turned into cellulitis, a skin infection that can lead to sepsis if untreated.
Blister After Short Walk
Jess purchased the size seven khaki sandals from a Primark store in Torquay on June 16. On July 9, she wore them for a 40-minute walk and noticed a blister the size of a five pence piece. Within days, her foot doubled in size and she developed a fever. On July 13, she visited A&E at Torbay Hospital in Devon, where doctors diagnosed cellulitis.
Cellulitis Symptoms and Treatment
The NHS describes cellulitis as a skin infection that makes the skin painful, hot, and swollen, often with blisters and flu-like symptoms. Jess's foot became severely swollen, with orange pus seeping from the blister. She described the pain as 'throbbing' and said she could barely walk. Doctors bandaged her foot and prescribed antibiotics, noting the infection was one step away from sepsis.
Warning to Others
Jess said she has binned the sandals and will never buy cheap sandals again. She posted a video on TikTok that garnered 200,000 views and 65 comments, with several users reporting similar experiences. One commenter said: 'The same happened to me - exact same place. Never worn them since.' Another added: 'This happened to me! I wore them one time on holiday last year. I've still got scars on both feet from them rubbing me over a year later.'
Primark's Response
A Primark spokesperson said: 'We take the quality and comfort of our products very seriously and work closely with our suppliers and quality teams to ensure our products meet our high standards. We would encourage the customer to get in contact with us directly so we can look into it further.'
