Staff get sunstroke after landlady put tanning bulbs into pub lights

Drinkers and bar staff got sunstroke inside a pub - after the manager accidentally put in bulbs from a tanning machine. Emma McLean replaced the blue strip lights behind the bar with high-powered ultraviolet tubes. Unsuspecting workers and regulars stood underneath the lights for hours and some needed hospital treatment.

Barman Morgan Smith suffered severe burns to his neck at the pub in Buckie, Banffshire. His sister Emma, 21, said: "He was really badly burnt and had sunstroke. He was all dizzy and couldn't see because of the brightness of the lights.

"His neck started peeling and was in a right state. Nobody could believe he got sunstroke from standing behind a bar. The lamps are only supposed to be used for a few minutes at a time. No one had any idea they were being cooked until staff began to complain of dizziness."



Some customers who had been sitting at the bar in The Pub In The Square - nicknamed the Pits - also suffered burns in the incident two weeks ago. One local said: "One barmaid said she couldn't see. No one knew what was going on until the lights were checked. The barmaid was in agony and had to go to accident and emergency to be checked out. Thankfully, she was OK but someone could have been really badly hurt."

It's understood the owners of the bar could be facing legal action. The local added: "We're all surprised someone could make such a stupid mistake. When I first heard about it, I laughed but a lot of people in the town are angry about it. I've been told that there are going to be a few claims for compensation."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said the incident was one they had never come across before. Spokesman Carl Christopher said: "It's very unusual. It's not the kind of thing you hear about every day." Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald said: "It's very rare for anyone to be getting sunburnt in Buckie at this time of year. In time, it will become one of those pub legends."