A mum whose son suffered severe burns which left him needing multiple skin grafts wants others to know what to do if they are ever in a similar nightmare scenario.

Carrieanne Doyle stopped at a café on her way to taking son Mason Nightingale to his playgroup in Gravesend when a teapot of boiling water landed on him.

They were running 45 minutes early so the 38-year-old ordered a hot drink from St George's That Place Restaurant in the St George's Centre.

It was brought over to her table in a small metal teapot by a waitress and left on the side, on June 23.

Although there was no CCTV and nobody knows or witnessed the exact circumstances, the boiling water ended up falling over the one-year-old who was in his buggie.

Carrieanne said: "It was just a normal day. When I looked up I could see in his face something was not right and he was screaming.

"I could feel the heat coming off him. I was screaming to them to get him under water. I started running to the kitchen, that was a bit of a blur. I took his clothes off and ran him under the tap."

A paediatric nurse – who happened to be at the diner at the same time – ran over to help the mother-of-four.

Carrieanne, of St Gregory's Crescent, Gravesend, added: "I was frantic trying to get my phone to call an ambulance. I cannot even remember, it could have been the nurse who called it. She stayed with me until it came.

"It was her quick thinking to keep him under water."

The nurse told Carrieanne, Mason needed to be under the water for at least 20 minutes.

Staff were also on hand offering support according to part-owner of the café, Ozzi Esenoz.

"The waitress ran and she started running to put him under cold water," he said. "We were helping her, two of my staff were with her.

"We were all shocked. I felt so sorry for the mother, she has suffered. It was an accident, it was not anyone's fault it happened."

"The nurse got up and said 'leave it with me' and took over.

"We were all shocked. I felt so sorry for the mother, she has suffered. It was an accident, it was not anyone's fault it happened.

"I could not sleep that night.

"We have all suffered, my staff and I were shook up and we shut up shop about 20 minutes after. I sent everyone home."

Carrieanne and Mason were blue-lighted to Darent Valley Hospital for pain relief and were sent to a hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, to treat the burns on his legs, groin, stomach and hands.

Mason underwent four hours of surgery and had multiple skin grafts taken from his left leg and put on his right leg, from his groin to his knee.

He is now going back every three days to have his wounds cleaned, bandages changed and to be monitored.

His mum said: "His burns are bad but they could have been a lot worse. The last few days has just been concentrating on Mason. Accidents do happen.

"He is smiling now. He was not smiling for a few days. His personality is coming back – that is lovely to see.

"It is just such a shock. You do not think one day it could happen to you."

She now wants to use the horror experience to raise awareness of what to do when a child suffers severe injuries.

These are the steps you should take according to the NHS:

• Stop the burning process as soon as possible by removing the person from the area.

• Remove any clothing or jewellery near the burnt area of skin, including babies' nappies. But do not try to remove anything that's stuck to the burnt skin, as this could cause more damage.

• Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes as soon as possible after the injury. Never use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances like butter.

• Keep warm. Use a blanket or layers of clothing but avoid putting them on the injured area.

• Cover the burn with cling film. Lay the clingfilm over the burn, rather than wrapping it around a limb.

• Treat the pain from a burn with paracetamol or ibuprofen.

• Raise the affected area, if possible. This will help to reduce swelling.

It is suggested you should go to hospital for burns bigger than the size of the affected person's hand, deep burns of any size that cause white or charred skin, burns on the face, neck, hands, feet, any joints, or genitals, all chemical and electrical burns, any other injuries that need treating and any signs of shock.

You should also go if the person who has been burned is under the age of 10, has a medical condition, such as heart, lung or liver disease, or diabetes or has a weakened immune system.

There are also charities that provide support and rehabilitation for burned and scald-injured children and their families such as the Children's Burn Trust.

Carrieanne did raise concerns over the knowledge of staff in relation to burns but Ozzi said all were fully trained and had burn creams and treatments on site.