News

Oct 23, 2023

Mum issues warning after glass garden table SHATTERS leaving her patio covered in dangerous shards

A MUM has issued a warning to fellow parents after her glass garden table

A MUM has issued a warning to fellow parents after her glass garden table apparently "exploded" and left her patio and grass covered in dangerous shards.

Luckily nobody was injured by the table top shattering, but wanting to make others aware of the damage, the mum shared pictures of her glass-covered patio to Facebook.

Posting in the group Family Lowdown Tips and Ideas, she claimed that she had spent the "entire afternoon" cleaning up "dangerous" shards of glass after the "explosion".

The mum said that her family hadn't been using the table at the time, but she was scared to think how "horrific" the situation could have been if they were.

Her post read: "***To anyone who owns a glass topped garden table please beware!!!*** This morning my black glass topped table literally exploded.

"Thank goodness no one was sat at it at the time like we were over the weekend as I dread to think what would have been the outcome then. I have spent the whole afternoon tidying up glass from my patio, from in between the paving slabs and from the grass."

The mum continued: "I found glass several meters away from where the table actually was!! I have two young children who love to run around bare footed (find me a child who doesn't!).

"We have literally vacuumed the paving slabs as well as swept them to try and ensure all traces of glass are gone. This was a set purchased from Argos who have said they cannot do anything about it as it was purchased over a year ago and have referred us to the manufacturer.

"They still sell it. It's the Cusco 6 seater rattan set. The outcome of this could have been horrific so please just be aware."

While the mum was unaware of what had caused the apparent "explosion," she added: "It was possibly caused by the heat but outdoor tables should be able to withstand heat!"

A spokesperson from Argos told Fabulous: "Although it's extremely rare, glass tables can break for a number of reasons and so our sets are designed to shatter safely into small pieces to prevent serious injury.

And added: "We have reviewed the images and can see that's what's happened in this case."

Thousands commented on her post, with many revealing the same thing had happened to them with their table.

One mum shared: "That's happened to me twice awful mess was finding glass forever."

"I see this happen every single year soooo many times, doesn't make a difference where its from. Glass outdoor tables shouldn't be sold," another wrote.

A third commented: "It happened to mine and a friends too. Keep the frame and buy a wood or equivalent board cut to size and staple gun a pvc table cloth to it."

Trying to offer an explanation, one person offered: "This can happen to anything that has tempered glass. They take knocks here and there and this can eventually cause them to unexpectedly explode."

Another said: "It's to do with the heat and not a manufacturing issue sadly glass at such heat as we have had will literally Buckle under this pressure, last year this happened to our shower screen in our bathroom it was so hot it just shattered."

Previously, the Furniture Industry Research Association released an explanation for why glass furniture might shatter, and advised people on what they can do you reduce the risk.

It reads: "Toughened glass is designed to shatter into lots of small granular pieces when damaged. This is a safety feature to reduce the risk of injury, as it doesn't form large and jagged shards like normal (annealed) glass.

"In rare instances, if toughened glass is damaged, it can lead to the glass breaking seemingly of its own accord.

"Damage to the glass (not always visible) can get worse over time until it reaches a critical point when it may shatter. This is not a fault with the product or design, this is how the toughened glass is intended to behave if damaged."

Meanwhile, check out this mum who transformed her old garden furniture for just £17 to create a stunning boho escape.

Plus, thrifty couple quoted £10k to overhaul garden create stunning outdoor space using B&M bargains - and there's even an egg chair.

And give your garden a glow up with these top 10 stylish items, including a stone-baked pizza oven and projector for your very own outdoor cinema.