A MOTHER is warning other parents to be vigilant after a highly toxic plant left her two-year-old daughter with scars on her hands and needing hospital treatment.

Jamie Buchanan said her daughter Lexi Jones developed blisters on her fingers from touching Giant Hogweed.

She said she now wants to warn other parents about the plant.

Miss Buchanan, of Maesglas Crescent, Newport, said that her daughter started to develop painful blisters over her fingers on Tuesday the day after the pair had been out walking the dog as usual.

"We walked the dog as we normally do at the river opposite where we live, " she said.

Everything seemed fine but the following day staff from Lexi's nursery contacted the 24-year-old mother to ask how her daughter had blisters on her fingers.

"They asked had she burned herself."

The mum said she later took Lexi to hospital as her fingers were so swollen and the blisters so raw.

"When we were at hospital I was told that she had touched hogweed."

Miss Buchanan, is now hoping to raise awareness of Giant Hogweed - otherwise known as Heracleum mantegazzianum - which is a highly toxic plant. If touched it can cause blistering, scarring and even blindness.

"I knew nothing about Hogweed before this," said Miss Buchanan.

"I was told that Lexi's hand would be left scarred and the other blisters would be sensitive to light.

"It hasn't been pleasant for my daughter. I don't want other children to go through what my daughter has.

"I hope parents will research online."

A Newport City Council spokeswoman said the council had received a report of Hogweed in the area.

She said: "The council regularly checks its land for signs of Giant Hogweed and if found it is cleared immediately. However the area where this incident happened is not under the council’s jurisdiction and the incident should be reported to Natural Resources Wales."

The chairman of The Property Care Association’s Invasive Weed Control Group, Professor Max Wade, warned people to avoid the toxic plant.

He said: “It is really important that the plant is spotted and that its toxic sap does not come into contact with skin in the sunlight.

“If this occurs, it can lead to a nasty rash, itching and blisters when skin first makes contact with it.

“An added concern is the fact that Giant Hogweed sap which comes into contact with items such as clothing and equipment can also be transferred via touch, so it can possibly affect somebody else.”

Jacob Birch, natural resources management team leader for National Resources Wales, said: “We will remove any invasive species identified during routine maintenance of the land that we manage.

"We would encourage people to report any sightings of invasive species on Plant Tracker (www.planttracker.org.uk) – a multi-agency partnership that aims to record the location of invasive species.”

You can report Giant Hogweed sightings at planttracker.org.uk.