Manchester boy who drank drain cleaner in supermarket unable to eat and 'may never speak again'

A six-year-old boy who swallowed poisonous liquid containing caustic soda, suffered severe burns that have left him unable to talk or eat. His mother Saira Faisal said her son Ayman allegedly took the bottle from a shelf at SAFA supermarket in Moss Side and drank the liquid while her back was turned.

His mother, Saira Faisal, claimed her son Ayman took the bottle from a shelf at SAFA supermarket in Moss Side and drank the liquid while her back was turned.

The accident, which happened in January 2013, when he was two-and-a-half years old caused terrible burns to his mouth, oesophagus and stomach.

Faisal, 37, says the horrific incident was "the worst day of her life", according to the Manchester Evening News.

"Ayman was strapped into his pushchair and I was reaching to get something. It was only for a few seconds, but when I turned back I saw his lips had gone purple and blue and there was blood coming out of his mouth.

"I didn't know what it was or what had happened at first, I just knew it was something bad. I remember screaming at the staff to phone an ambulance, while I tried to get as much as I could out with my hands.

"I was terrified. All I kept thinking was 'please don't let me lose my son'."

Her son was admitted to intensive care at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where he spent four weeks in intensive care.

The young boy's injuries were so severe that medical teams inserted a permanent tracheostomy tube into his neck to enable him to breathe. A feeding tube was pushed into his stomach so that he could eat.

Now six years old, Ayman is still recuperating from his injuries. His mother has started a legal action against Active Brand Concepts Limited, the manufacturer and owners of the SAFA superstore where the incident occurred.

Alicia Rendell, a serious injury specialist at Slater and Gordon law firm is representing the family.

The legal team claim that the young boy should not have been able to remove the cap of the bottle and the product should have been displayed out of reach of children.

"It is hard to imagine how devastating this has been for Ayman and for Saira to see her only child go through such pain and suffering," Rendell said. "We have also been approached by another mother who says her daughter suffered severe burns after she was able to open the same product.

"This is extremely concerning and we would urge everyone with young children in the house to check that all substances like this are in childproof containers and stored well out of harm's way."