A mum wants a ban on disposable barbecues at beaches after her son was so badly injured when he stepped on one buried in the sand that he had to have an operation.

Lucy Gottelier's 12-year-old son, Alex, was on a school trip at Camber Sands when he tripped and fell backwards onto a single-use barbecue, severing his Achilles tendon.

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"They think the metal cut through 50% to 70% of his Achilles tendon," Mrs Gottelier said.

"He had to be carried off the beach by his teachers. There was blood everywhere. He was in a lot of pain and shock."

Alex, who goes to St Ronan's School, in Hawkhurst, was taken to the William Harvey's A&E department where he was admitted overnight.

Originally, he had been told he could have to wait another two weeks for the operation needed to stitch up his Achilles tendon.

"Luckily they then told us that they could do the operation the next day," Mrs Gottelier said.

"If he'd had to wait I think it might not have gone so well and Alex would probably be in bad pain."

Alex now has a cast on for the next six weeks and because of this will not be able to go on a summer cricket course.

"He's really upset about it," Mrs Gottelier said.

"His injury could affect him long-term, but we will have to wait and see.

"Everyone was so shocked when it happened.

"People need to know how dangerous disposable barbecues are and I think they should be banned."

Alex is recovering well at home in Benenden but won't be able to go back to school for a full day until after the summer holidays.

Mrs Gottelier says the teachers at St Ronan's responded amazingly when the accident happened last week.

She is hoping what happened to Alex will raise some awareness on how dangerous it is when disposable barbecues are left on the beach.

In Brighton, a ban on single-use barbecues on beaches and open spaces was brought in last week in a bid to tackle safety and environmental issues .

Anyone not complying could be slapped with a fixed penalty notice.

Rother District Council said disposable barbecues are banned at Camber Sands but they are sold in local shops so 'it is very hard to prevent them form being used on what is a very long stretch of beach'.

"We are very sorry to hear about this awful incident and we wish the boy involved a speedy recovery," a spokesperson said.

"We do have signs up informing people that disposable barbecues are not allowed, but we are powerless to stop the shops from selling them. If they are spotted, our staff will request the barbecue is doused with cold water and put in the bin."

They added: “Disposable barbecues present a real danger to visitors, wildlife and the environment which is why they have never been permitted at Camber Sands.

"The rules on barbecues are widely publicised on our website, at the beach and on our social media channels, and we would urge every visitor to Camber Sands to make themselves aware of what they can and can’t do on the beach and take their litter home with them.”