‘EVERYWHERE I GO, THERE IS A PERMANENT REMINDER OF WHAT KILLED MY DAUGHTER’
Potentially deadly button batteries on display within easy reach of children
HOUSEHOLD items that can kill young children are within easy reach of tots in shops around Stoke-on-trent.
Button batteries, of the type that claimed the life of twoyear-old Harper-lee Fanthorpe this year, could be found in B&M stores on shelves so low children would be able to pick them up.
And this was despite the packaging on the batteries stating that they should be kept out of reach of youngsters.
The batteries were in a pack of six, and were of the larger variety which can prove particularly dangerous.
Button batteries are so deadly because they react with water in the oesophagus to produce caustic soda, which burns through the oesophagus.
Harper-lee’s mum Stacymarie Nicklin, below, who joined forces with The Sentinel to launch the Harper-lee’s Law campaign, said: “I went into the supermarket and the button batteries were on the bottom shelf.
“Everywhere I go it’s a permanent reminder of what my daughter has died of. A battery killed my little girl, and it’s time people started listening.
“I’m getting to the point where I can’t even leave my home because everywhere I go there’s button batteries there, in the shops.”
The Sentinel visited several branches of B&M and found that many did have the deadly batteries on bottom shelves.
The batteries on display were in a sealed pack, which had extra lining behind the batteries. Once out of the pack, this brand did not have any further safety measures, such as a bittertasting coating, to help prevent accidental ingestion. Stoke-on-trent MP Jo Gideon, who has been campaigning in parliament for legislation to improve button battery safety, said: “With many new lines in shops for
Christmas, I urge people to be aware of products that contain button batteries and not to buy them if they are not securely fastened in the goods.
“Sometimes it can be as simple as the retailer rearranging the display stand for batteries to ensure packs of button batteries are not within children’s reach.”
The Sentinel contacted B&M for a statement but has so far has had no response.