Toddler '˜burned feet in discarded BBQ' as she played on beach

Emily Shaw with her feet in bandages after the beach agony. Picture: Greg Macvean

Jill Shaw described how a trip to play in the sand turned to horror as little Emily was left screaming in pain.

The toddler’s feet are now swathed in bandages.

And Jill appealed to anyone enjoying a barbecue or fire on the beach to make sure they left the place safe when they went home.

She said she had taken Emily to Granton beach to play in the sunshine. “We were going to have a barbecue ourselves,” she said.

“We got to the grass you have to walk across to get to the beach. I was taking the bags off the buggy and Emily took her shoes off and ran down onto the beach.

“We saw big log so I said we could go and sit there. Emily ran over to it, but the next thing I knew she was screaming and saying her feet were hot and burning.

“I think she had walked on to a bit of sand where someone had had a barbecue or a fire. I’m wondering if the log had been alight overnight and that’s what made the sand so hot.”

She rushed Emily down to the water to cool her feet. “She was screaming they were burning. I’ve never seen her in so much pain,” said Jill.

“We filled up her bucket with water and we had a bag of ice so I was using all that to try to cool them down until my partner arrived to take her to hospital.”

They drove Emily to the Sick Kids and were given immediate attention.

“They took her very quickly. Her feet were all blistered and her toes.”

Now Emily has both feet in bandages and cannot walk for the time being,

“She’s a very lively wee girl, always on her feet, so she’s finding it difficult to get used to having to be lifted and carried all the time,” said Jill who has three other children and lives in Leith.

She has to take Emily back to the hospital in three days to have the burns checked.

“I’m worried she’s never going to want to step on a beach again,” she said.

Jill posted a plea on Facebook for people having barbecues or fires on the beach: “Please, please make sure you put it out right.”

Her post was shared more than 600 times within a few hours.

“I was surprised at how much it was shared and how supportive people have been,” she said.

The council also urged people to make beaches safe after barbecues.

Environment convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “We want the public to enjoy all of the city’s open spaces during the sunny weather, including our beautiful beaches.

“However, we would remind people that if they choose to have a barbecue they are responsible for clearing it up safely.

“All the remains of the barbecue and any other litter should be disposed of carefully, if necessary by taking it home, for the benefit of everyone.”