Two young brothers have been paid more than £500 in compensation after a portable toilet they were using was blown over by a ‘freak’ gust of wind at a car boot sale – covering them in chemicals and other waste products.
The boys, aged four and six, were covered in filth, when a strong gust of wind caused the 7ft 6in plastic toilets to topple over while they were inside.
The siblings were taken to hospital following the incident in Rhyl, in north Wales, in April 2015.
They have now been awarded compensation which will be held in a trust until they are 18.
Their father said: ‘My wife was hysterical and still has flashbacks even now.’
The boys, aged four and six, were covered in filth, when a strong gust of wind caused the 7ft 6in plastic toilets to topple over while they were inside
Their father, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘We were at the car boot sale in Rhyl when my wife took the boys to use the portable toilets.
‘They both went into the separate toilets and were inside when a massive gust of wind blew both the portable toilets over.
‘Our oldest son managed to climb out, but the toilet the youngest was in landed on its door and he couldn’t get out until it was lifted back upright.
‘Luckily, they both escaped with minor injuries but were completely covered in chemicals and other waste products from the toilets.
‘We took them straight to A and E at Glan Clwyd where they were showered off and given tetanus injections.’
He added: ‘It was terrifying for them. At first it was more shock than anything, but now they are too anxious to use a portable toilet again.
‘It was horrible for us as parents too because I could only stand and watch while people lifted the toilet back up again.
‘My wife was hysterical and still has flashbacks even now.’
The boys were in the portable toilets when they fell over – they were covered in filth
The siblings were taken to hospital following the incident in Rhyl, in north Wales, in April 2015
A spokesman for Waterloo Hire Ltd said: ‘We deliver 10,000 toilets every year and have never had anything like this happen before.
‘It was a freak gust of wind that caused them to fall over and there was minimal spillage.
‘We have co-operated fully with the family and have shown sympathy throughout.
‘We agreed to pay out as a gesture of goodwill.’
The firm, which employs 14 people, never secures their portable toilets to the ground, but in cases of extreme weather, will reconsider their location and offer advice to those hiring them.
John Noble from Noble Promotions, which runs the car boot site on Rhyl Road, said: ‘Since the incident, we have made arrangements to move the toilets to a different location to make sure it can’t happen again.
‘We also take our own measures to strap them down.’