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Agony of severed finger boy
A BOY who had a finger severed in an horrific work accident today hit out at his former boss.
Wayne Ashman lost part of the middle digit of his left hand while using a potato chipping machine at Fresh Bite on Central Drive, Blackpool.
The Marton schoolboy said he had received only minimal training and there was no safety guard on the chipper.
A court was told how he should not have been working at all as his boss did not have a licence to employ under 16s.
Wayne, who was 15 at the time of the incident last October, was forced to undergo months of painful surgery, including almost 100 stitches, to try to reconnect the finger.
Although doctors thought the operation was successful the finger "died" and had to be removed.
Wayne said: "My hand was knocked into the machine and my finger was severed.
"I didn't realise until I looked down and there was a hell of a lot of blood because the machine blades were so sharp.
"My finger ended up floating in a bucket of chips.
"It was excruciatingly painful."
Wayne, who is now 16, finds it difficult to type and has had to give up playing in goal for Staining Juniors football club.
Naresa Kumar, proprietor of Fresh Bite, failed to attend Blackpool magistrates yesterday, but was found guilty of two offences of employing a child without a licence after a trial in his absence.
Lynda Bennett, prosecuting for Blackpool Council, said an employment licence had to be issued for children aged 13 to 16 who worked in their spare time. Employers had to ensure children who worked for them had such a licence, for the protection of the children.
Wayne today criticised his former boss.
"We got on quite well when he was there," the Palatine School pupil said, "but now my opinion has obviously changed.
"I think it was selfish to have me working in a situation where something like this could happen.
"I've always wanted to be a goalkeeper and it was one of my favourite things.
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"But now I can't play because it's too painful."
Wayne's parents, Hayley and David Ashman, of Daggers Hall Lane, said they were horrified to find what job their son had been asked to do leading up to his accident.
"My son has gone through months of hell," said Hayley, a 34-year-old charity volunteer.
"The doctors tried so hard to sew his finger back on and I have to thank Victoria Hospital for all they did.
"I'm very annoyed at Mr Kumar for what happened. As far as we knew Wayne was cleaning tables and wrapping chips.
"We don't want to see it happen to someone else so I would warn parents to keep their eye on what their kids are doing at work and warn employers to follow health and safety regulations down to the last detail."
After the hearing a spokesman for Blackpool Council said: "We are currently very pro-active when it comes to the employment of children and what they can or cannot do in the work place."
Kumar, 41, of Abbotsford Road, Marton, was fined 1,000 with 150 costs and ordered to pay the 15 victims' surcharge.
A spokesman for Kumar said the takeaway boss was unable to attend court as magistrates sent notification of the trial date to the wrong address. He indicated Kumar would appeal.
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Weather for Blackpool
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
