AN eight-month-old Glasgow girl almost died after she bit into a washing machine liquitab.

Little Orla Hutchison was given the liquitab – a small bag filled with colourful liquid soap – by her two-year-old cousin Jack, who thought it was a sweet.

But Orla's mother Shannon, 19, realised something was wrong and dialled 999.

By this time, the tot was struggling to breathe and drifting in and out of consciousness.

She was rushed to intensive care at Yorkhill Hospital For Sick Children, where doctors had to clear her airway with a breathing tube. She spent 10 days in intensive care.

Doctors say if Orla had not reached A&E quickly, the airway could have closed over completely, with potentially fatal consequences.

Shannon, who lives in Castlemilk, said: "Orla was at my sister's house playing with my nephew, who managed to get hold of one of the liquitabs.

"He thought it was a sweet because it was bright and like a jelly, so he gave it to Orla, who bit into it.

"We realised immediately, there was a problem, so we called for an ambulance right away.

"It was terrifying. I'm just so lucky to still have my little girl.

"To kids these liquitabs do look like bright sweets and they are not in a sealed box so they can get into them so easily. I had no idea what could happen until I saw what happened to Orla.

"Now I make sure all the liquitabs are locked away and I tell everyone to do the same.

"The boxes they come in really should be child proof and I hope manufacturers do something about this because I would not want this to happen to any other girl or boy."

Five youngsters, all under the age of two, have been admitted to Yorkhill Hospital this year as a result of accidents with liquitabs.

The alkaline chemicals in the liquitab cause an immediate chemical burn, which can cause the airway to close completely.

Dr Lyndsay Fraser, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the hospital, said: "It really is only good fortune that we have not seen a death resulting from this type of injury.

"We have known for some time about the risk of eye injuries from kids squeezing these liquitabs until they burst.

"What we have seen more recently is that children are biting into the tablets, presumably because they think they are sweets because they have the same soft texture and bright colouring.

"Getting those children to hospital straight away is imperative."

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is also calling on the manufacturers to increase the safety of the packaging on the items.

caroline.wilson@ eveningtimes.co.uk