Gardener is left with painful blisters after accidentally rubbing giant hogweed on his bare arm

Britain’s ‘most dangerous plant’ has struck again, scorching the flesh of a gardener tasked with destroying it after he let his guard down.

Martyn Ferguson, from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, has been battling giant hogweed for six years, clearing it from local riverbanks in protective gear.

But it only took one “careless” moment for the dreaded plant to leave him with painful blisters.

Martyn said: ‘We had been treating giant hogweed for the last five or six weeks before they got burned.

“I got burned because I was careless, on the very last day and hour of the season.

But it only took one “careless” moment for the dreaded plant to leave him with painful blisters

“I must have rubbed sap on my bare arm as I took off my protective coveralls – it’s the only time I’ve been burned treating giant hogweed in six years.”

The juice of the giant hogweed prevents the skin from protecting itself against the sun’s rays, leading to horrific burns when exposed to natural light.

Part of what makes it so dangerous is the fact that it doesn’t cause immediate pain – so its victims can continue to burn in the sun without heeding any problem.

And the sap only needs a moment of exposure to do its job.

Mr Ferguson continued: ‘I didn’t know I had managed to get sap on my arm – it reacts to sunlight and it took several hours for me to start having symptoms.

“Before the blistering, my arm was warm, too hot, and incredibly itchy.

“The skin looked really red and then started to blister — it came up in big fluid-filled blisters that eventually burst open.

“After they burst, I treated the open wounds with antiseptic cream – it took several weeks for them to heal properly.”

Martyn, from Turriff, knew how to treat the wound, so he avoided a hospital visit.

But the injury is still sensitive to daylight a year later and gets slightly itchy in the sun.

Giant hogweed sap prevents the skin from protecting itself against the sun’s rays, leading to horrific burns when exposed to natural light

Part of what makes it so dangerous is the fact that it doesn’t cause immediate pain – so the victims can continue to burn in the sun without heeding any problem

Mr Ferguson said: ‘I didn’t know I had managed to get sap on my arm – it reacts to sunlight and it took several hours for me to start having symptoms’

Now the 57-year-old is warning others to watch out for the hated plant.

He said: ‘My injury was mild by comparison – it took a while to heal, it was hot, painful and incredibly itchy.

“Severe burns must be horrible.

“In severe cases, even after a burn has healed, you need to protect the wound site from sunlight, as your skin can blister again.

“If you come across giant hogweed plants, unless you know what you’re doing and have the proper PPE, leave it alone.

Now the 57-year-old is warning others to watch out for the hated plant. He said: ‘My injury was mild by comparison – it took a while to heal, it was hot, painful and incredibly itchy’

The giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus but was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in 1817 and its spread is now out of control

‘Even if you are well trained and have the right PPE, you still have to be very careful.’

The giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus, but was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in 1817 and its spread is now out of control.

Mike Duddy, of the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust, said in 2015 that giant hogweed was ‘without doubt the most dangerous plant in Britain’.

If you are exposed to the plant, wash the area that has made contact thoroughly and keep it out of sunlight for a few days, advises the Woodland Trust.

Mr Ferguson, who offers his services through his own company, Handy Gardens, asked the British to report any sightings of the plant to their local river trust.