Dad’s warning over germs lurking in reusable bottles
A FATHER whose young daughter had an upset stomach for four weeks has issued a warning to other parents after finding her reusable water bottle’s lid was covered in grime.
Craig Beresford, 38, said his seven-yearold daughter had been suffering stomach aches every day. He wondered if it could be her Sistema Twist ’n’ Sip water bottle and so he broke apart the lid with a knife after it would not come apart easily. He discovered a layer of black dirt inside – which he believes was causing her symptoms.
Mr Beresford, from Stalybridge in Greater Manchester, posted pictures of the lid on Facebook to warn other parents – which have since been shared more than 50,000 times. The father-of-two, who is a carpenter, said: ‘It was a bit of a shock, we could not believe she had been using that.’
He said he and his partner had been ‘meticulous’ about cleaning the bottle and cap every day but that he believes water reached parts inside the lid that could not be reached and were ‘hoarding bacteria’. He added: ‘ She was better immediately the day after we threw the bottle away. I just wanted to make people aware – all the kids at school use them.’
Sistema Plastics said they are aware some customers find it hard to clean the caps, which they take ‘very seriously’. They have now posted demonstrations on their website on how to take apart the lids.