Snake bite at the beach
Boy of 8 left seriously ill after rare adder attack
A MOTHER has warned other parents to beware of Britain’s only venomous snake after her young son became seriously ill when he was bitten on the beach.
Jake Closier was running along the dunes in Hemsby, norfolk, when he fell and was attacked by an adder lurking in the long grass.
The eight-year-old was given a drip containing anti-venom at hospital but his hand swelled to five times the normal size.
His mother Sophie, 32, said she had no idea there were venomous snakes in the Uk, adding: ‘People need to be aware that there is a serious threat to life.’
Jake and his family were staying in the resort for the easter holidays when he was bitten on the finger last Tuesday.
Mrs Closier ran to the nearest house to call for an ambulance but the owners drove them to James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea.
Jake almost went into anaphylactic shock, his mother said. ‘His veins shrank because of the venom and he was throwing up,’ said Mrs Closier, a pet supplies business owner from camden, north london.
‘The doctor said we were lucky to get there when we did as Jake could have had lasting tissue damage and even organ failure.
‘He was in a lot of pain and his whole hand went about five times the size and his arm went purple up to the armpit.’
Jake felt better by the following morning but was left a ‘nervous wreck’.
Mrs Closier complained many people are not aware of the risk from adders, which like to bask in warm areas, and was surprised there were no warning signs in the area.
Adders are Britain’s only venomous snake and are usually found in woodland and heathland habitats. Fourteen people have died from adder bites in the last 150 years. James Byrne, from The Wildlife Trusts, said bites were ‘extremely rare’.
It is unclear if Jake was bitten on the stretch of beach owned by the Geoffrey Watling charity or land owned privately by John Groats, who said it was hard to put up safety signs because it is a site of special scientific interest.