A 12-year-old Tipton lad has demonstrated why it's a really bad idea to light your own farts in close proximity to a can of petrol, after he did just that and ended up with 18 per cent burns to his thumb and the backs of his legs.

Tipton firemen duly attended the scene of the mishap, but the small blaze resulting from the incendiary tomfoolery had already burned itself out, the Telegraph notes. Watch commander Paul Harpin explained: “The boy had been pranking around in the garden having a competition with his cousin, when they were breaking wind and lighting it. Right behind him was a petrol can and that just flashed. I think he must have won the competition but he will have some nasty burns now."

Officers administered first aid awaiting the arrival of medical operatives who whisked the victim to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley. Harpin concluded with the obligatory: “It is a warning not to mess around with fire." ®

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