Plastic surgeon warns that homemade sheep costumes could kill you

A plastic surgeon fears somone will be killed following a spate of people being badly burned while wearing sheep costumes. Researchers have found six such cases in the UK over the past five years.

The team at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, West Lothian, looked into the problem after treating two young men who suffered horrific burns at the hands of drunken jokers.



Surgeon Stephen Goldie said: “It is done as a practical joke to start with and then turns into a disaster. Serious burns can quite easily cause death. There’s no two ways about it – large burns kill people.” He said the problem stemmed from homemade sheep costumes, made from flammable glue and cotton wool.

He added: “Our regional burns unit has dealt with two such sheep costume cases in the past two years. One involved a 24-year-old male who suffered 40 per cent burns, and more recently an 18-year-old male who was admitted with 36 per cent burns. Both required significant reconstructive surgery and prolonged rehabilitation.”