Gardening lands 87,000 a year in hospital

Britain's green spaces have been invaded by one of gardening's most dangerous creatures — a man with a mower.

Of the 87,000 people who needed hospital treatment last year after being injured while working on their gardens, 6,500 were hurt by a lawn mower, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).



The seemingly innocuous flower pot is the second most dangerous, causing 5,300 accidents. Hedge-trimmer accidents have increased by more than 50 per cent in the past five years, to 3,100 a year.

Men have more accidents in the garden than women and, apart from children, people aged 30-60 are most likely to come a cropper.

The top gardening injuries are caused by: 1. Lawn mowers (6,500 accidents in the UK each year), 2. Flower pots (5,300), 3. Secateurs and pruners (4,400), 4. Spades (3,600), 5. Electric hedge trimmers (3,100), 6. Plant tubs and troughs (2,800), 7. Shears (2,100), 8. Garden forks (2,000), 9. Hoses and sprinklers (1,900) and 10. Garden canes and sticks (1,800).