A TEENAGER was lucky to escape serious injury after suffering burns to his hand when a Dove mobile phone charger EXPLODED on his bedside table.

Ryan Taylor, 19, had been bought a Dove Ultimate Care Gift Set, which included a portable power bank that charges mobile phones on the go, by his nan Sue Taylor.

Ryan had charged the device and left it on his bedside table at his home in Whitecross, Hereford, but after 30 minutes of being unplugged it started hissing and smoking.

Mum Helen, 40, had been downstairs with her husband Kai, 44 and seven-year-old son Logan when it exploded “like a gunshot” and filled the room with shrapnel and smoke.

The self-employed mum-of-two took the duvet, which had been singed, and put it in the bath, as Ryan suffered burns to three of his fingers.

Helen said: "It went off like a firework, it was an enormous sound.

"We went to the bottom of the stairs and we could just see smoke everywhere upstairs.

"When we went up and that's when I saw that the charger pack on the floor with shrapnel everywhere.

"It went off like a gunshot, I had to get a pair of kitchen tongs to pick it up off the floor - because it was red hot.

"He had been given the Dove Care Gift Set from his nan for Christmas and always followed the instructions.

"He was told to plug it in and when the light would stop flashing and turned to a solid red to unplug it.

"He put it on his bedside table so it wasn't on any bed lining or anything that would make it hot.

"When he unplugged it, he left it sat on his bedside table and about half an hour later it started making a sizzling noise.

"Then smoke started to come out of the top of it.

"Ryan then picked it up and luckily when he saw the smoke coming out end of power bank faced it away from him.

"It then got so hot that it burnt three of his fingers and he dropped it on the floor on the carpet.

"So I grabbed the bin liner and put it in the bath and as I started to take away the duvet cover I could see it was scorched all the way through.

"There is nothing wrong with our electrics and Ryan followed the instructions as stated on the packaging - so as far as I'm concerned it was a faulty product.

"We have been in touch with Unilever ever since and they have repeatedly emailed asking if the item was dropped before hand.

"It wasn't dropped and then they asked whether it charging on a suitable work surface and it was.

"They seem to be trying to find some excuse to put the blame on us.

"I know he wasn't hurt enough to go to A&E but if he hadn't have turned the power bank away from him it would've blown up in his face.

"They are a very big company have just brushed me under the carpet - that's what has annoyed me.

"Because I was the only who has complained in their eyes then the product must be safe.

"So do they need 10 injuries before the product is looked at properly.

"The quote for the carpet was £742 to basically have someone put a new one in, the duvet and bed lining was about £50.

"The bedside table was part of a solid oak set which was a bedside table, wardrobe and chest of draws which cost around £400.

"I just want to know why did the thing blow up.

"I mean if my seven-year-old had been upstairs or if Ryan had put it in his pocket and walked out it could've been a lot worse."

A spokesperson for Unilever said: “As a company the safety and quality of our products is always our top priority.

“We have been in touch with the consumer and have informed her that, after conducting extensive tests with the manufacturer, we were unable to detect any problems with her Dove Men + Care Powerbank.

“We have also not received any other similar complaints about this product.”