Probe after boy drinks caustic soda

Police were called shortly before 7.35pm on Monday by staff at the Manchester Children’s Hospital after a two-year-old boy was admitted with burns to the throat and stomach.

The toddler was shopping with his mother when they went into a shop on Claremont Road in Moss Side, Greater Manchester, on Sunday, a police spokesman said.

The child was strapped into his pushchair and when his mother was not looking he reached over to a bottle containing caustic soda, took the top off and drank some.

The toddler remains in hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable.

A joint investigation by Greater Manchester Police and Cheshire East Council Trading Standards is now under way. Supt Sarah Jones said: “I want to take this opportunity to remind people when storing products of this nature to make sure the lids of the bottles are on tightly, keep them in a cool place out of reach from children.”