A WILDLIFE trust who manage woodland where a Weaverham boy suffered injuries have urgent people to be cautious when out enjoying walks.

The Northwich Guardian published a story this week in which Nicky Thomas described how her ten-year-old son William had been walking through Owley Woods when he came into contact with Hogweed. The sap from the plant can often lead to very painful blistering of the skin and poor William had four trips to hospital over the course of the next nine days and was prescribed a course of steroids.

Owley Wood is managed by Cheshire Wildlife Trust and a spokesman for the organisation has contacted us to provide some advice and resassurance about the risks sometimes faced when enjoying our natural habitats.

They said: "First of all I’m very sorry to hear that William suffered as a result of coming into contact with common hogweed.

"It is a plant of the Umbelliferae family (as is celery, carrot and parsley) and some people, particularly those with sensitive skin, can have an adverse reaction when they come into contact with the sap.

"As a native plant (unlike its alien relative giant hogweed) it is widespread throughout the UK and can be found in all kinds of habitats including roadside verges, hedgerows, grassland and woodland.

"Although common hogweed isn’t a poisonous plant, during the summer as the plants mature, the sap of the plants can cause increased levels of irritation."

In comments not previously published in the Guardian, Nicky Thomas said how she would like to see some action taken to reduce the risk of anybody else suffering similar injuries to William.

She said: "I strongly believe that Cheshire West and Chester and especially Weaverham Parish Council should be obliged to put warning signs up in woodlands/river area entrances to warn the public.

"If it gets in to an eye it causes blindness.

"A sign costs around 30.00, it’s nothing compared to the consequences of touching hogweed. It can cause injury to dogs too."

With the woodland managed by Cheshire Wildlife Trust and not the local authorities mentioned, the responsibility for signage falls with them and they went on to explain their policy on safe woodland use.

"Owley Wood is a very special site for wildlife and the local community", the spokesman said.

"It’s an ancient woodland which means it’s been around since the 1600’s.

"To ensure people can access the site and experience all the wonder Owley Wood has to offer, we’ve built a network of footpaths throughout.

"These protect the site and keep our visitors as safe as possible in the outdoor environment.

"There are signs at the entrances to the nature reserve stating “Please be aware you are entering a natural environment and take the precautions you would in other wild places”.

"As with all of our nature reserves we strongly encourage people to stay on the footpaths that we maintain for visitors, so that they’re able to enjoy nature safely."