A recruitment consultant is warning people to check the expiry date on their hot water bottles - after hers burned the skin off her legs and lap when it burst.

Yazmin Hardy says her legs were left 'burning for a week' when her hot water bottle burst while laying on the sofa on Tuesday, July 16th.

The 27-year-old was on day one of her period and suffering 'painful' menstrual cramps when she reached for her heat pad to help soothe the pain.

After filling the bottle up to the top with boiling kettle water, the recruitment consultant put it back in its Velcro cover and headed to the couch to lie down.

(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

But minutes later, Yazmin claims the product split open pouring boiling liquid onto her legs, lower tummy and hands.

Immediately, she said she stripped and jumped into a cold shower for 30 minutes to relieve the pain.

But after her leg continued to 'burn' she went to Wythenshawe hospital in Manchester where she had her dead skin removed and wounds wrapped.

She then returned to the hospital every day for a fortnight to have her legs rebandaged and says she may be left scarred for life.

Shocking photos show Yazmin's skin red raw and blistered as she lay on a hospital bed awaiting treatment.

Following the incident, Yazmin says she will never use a hot water bottle again and is keen to raise awareness about the expiry dates inside them.

Yazmin, who is from Norfolk but lives in Ancoats, Manchester, said: "I struggle with really bad period pains.

"The hot water bottle for me is one of the only things that helps relieve the pain.

"On the first day of my period, I will always fill my hot water bottle up as it helps to soothe the pain a little bit.

"I boiled the kettle and then filled it to the top like I normally do.

"I put the rubber bottle in a cover and then sat on the sofa for two minutes before the whole thing poured over me.

"At first I thought it was my fault because I hadn't screwed the lid on properly but when I got home from the hospital, I had another look and there was a tiny split in the seam of the rubber bottle.

"I took all my clothes off and jumped straight in a cold shower for 30 minutes.

"The pain was eased by the shower pretty quickly but it was a really sharp, boiling burning pain.

"The burns were mainly on my thigh then on my other inner thigh.

(Image: Kennedy News & Media)

"The pressure from the shower was causing the skin to just fall off my leg and when I got out of the shower I had no skin there and it was bright red and more skin came off.

"For days on end my leg kept burning. A week later it was still burning hot."

Yazmin says she was given the hot water bottle as a Christmas present a few years ago but following the accident she was shocked to discover the product's expiry date was 2022.

It has now been two months since she was burned and although her skin is healing well, doctors say she may be left scarred for life.

She is now speaking out about the incident to urge other hot water bottle users to check the expiry date inside theirs.

Yazmin said: "They [doctors] are unable to say whether it will scar or not because everyone is different but you can still definitely see marks. If I had a shower it still goes bright red.

"When I go on holiday I now have to make sure my skin [in these areas] isn't exposed to sunlight or I've got my block factor 50 on.

"My hot water bottle was out of date but at the time I didn't know about the dates in them

"[Since my accident], I've found out loads of rules about hot water bottles.

"You're not actually meant to fill it up all from the kettle. You're meant to do half boiling hot water and the rest cold water.

"You're also not meant to fill it all the way up to the top because of the pressure and also check the dates on them. I will never use a hot water bottle again as it's just scary.

"I think if you burn yourself the most important thing to do is jump in a cold shower straight away.

"If the ambulance comes and you haven't done this, they will actually shove you in a cold shower before taking you to hospital to stop the burns getting worse."