A rise in the popularity of hair straighteners is partly to blame for the soaring number of children being admitted to hospital with burns, a charity has revealed. The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) said that the number of children hospitalised for burns has risen by more than 50 per cent in the past decade, and it could be attributed partly to accidents with hair straighteners.

There is anecdotal evidence that hospitals are seeing increased numbers of children who have injured themselves with the hot irons. One mother from Merseyside said that her son, who is 8 months old, needed skin grafts after grabbing her hair straighteners and dropping them on to his legs.

Straighteners can reach temperatures of up to 220C (428F) and remain hot for up to eight minutes after they have been switched off. Remember to keep them out of the reach of children at all times.