Potential enemy in our gardens

9:00am Wednesday 30th August 2006

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THREE young brothers were left blistered and burnt after touching a common plant while playing in their garden.

The parents of two-year-old twins Adam and George Newitt and brother Luke, five, have released shocking images in the hope of warning others of the dangers of potentially hazardous plants.

"We obviously knew about things like hogweed and poison ivy posing a danger, but had never heard of this before. And we want to warn other parents."

Helen Newitt

Karl and Helen Newitt had no idea that the common rue herb - found in gardens across the UK and Europe - posed a risk, until the boys started to come out in blotches.

At first, there was no sign that anything was wrong as Luke, Adam and George played in the garden of their family home in Poffley End, near Witney.

But the following day, all three woke up with red marks on their skin, and, later that night, Adam became violently sick.

Mrs Newitt said: "Some blisters started appearing on his hands, and they were literally growing before our eyes. They started coming up around his mouth and a few on his legs, but it was mainly his hands. They just ballooned, getting bigger and bigger. I'd never seen anything like it before, and it was very scary. He was screaming in pain and vomiting.

"At this point, we had no idea what was wrong with him, and no idea that George and Luke had also been affected."

Adam was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, and Mrs Newitt said doctors were at first baffled as to what had caused his illness. But she thought back to the previous day, and remembered the boys playing near the plant.

As she was sat with Adam at the hospital, she received a text from her husband, saying blisters were starting to appear on Luke's and George's arms.

Adam was transferred for specialist treatment at the Radcliffe Infirmary's plastic surgery unit, where he spent four days. He was sedated, and his blisters removed. He had suffered superficial chemical burns.

Luckily, George and Luke were not so badly affected, and did not have to be hospitalised, but all three required treatment.

Now, almost three weeks on, the boys' wounds are healing well - although Adam's hands may now be more susceptible to sunburn.

The Newitts, who moved into their home and instantly fell in love with their large garden and its plants three years ago, have dug up the common rue and sent pictures of it and their sons' injuries to family and friends, warning them of the danger it poses.

Mrs Newitt, who also has a nine-month-old son, Oliver, said: "We obviously knew about things like hogweed and poison ivy posing a danger, but had never heard of this before. And we want to warn other parents.

"It is shocking that a common plant like this can cause such damage, and we don't want another family to go through this."