Man slashed on razor wedged onto slide in Bathgate park By Mary McCool

BBC Scotland news Published duration 9 March 2019

image copyright Ross Lambert image caption Ross Lambert caught his hand on the razor blade which was wedged into a slide in a playpark

A father's hand was sliced open by a razor "maliciously" wedged into a slide in a West Lothian playpark.

Ross Lambert, 39, told BBC Scotland the blade was so sharp he barely noticed the cut until the wound began bleeding profusely.

The joiner was given three stitches in hospital after taking his daughter and dog to the Wester Inch park in Bathgate on Friday.

Police retrieved the blade and are investigating the matter.

Park for toddlers

Mr Lambert told of his disgust at the trap, which he believes was intended to harm a child. He was sheltering his dog from the rain when his hand caught the razor - the blade facing upward.

He continued: "I just don't understand it at all - it's not a prank, it's malicious.

"The worst thing is it's a toddler's park - there's little baby swings and a small chute.

"There's a shelter on the slide with four wooden poles with a roof - the blade was hammered onto wooden pole so if you were to go down chute, that's what it was there for.

"You couldn't have put it in better place to cut someone."

image copyright Robert Lambert image caption Mr Lambert removed the blade and alerted the police

Mr Lambert took his daughter home before realising how severe the wound was. He said he may still need to have minor surgery on his hand if his injury fails to heal.

"I could actually see the muscle," he said. "I'm a joiner so I kind of need my hands to be in decent working order.

"I work with sharp tools all the time so I'm accustomed to cuts. This was painful.

"I've possibly damaged a tendon and I've lost movement in my thumb. It's not lucky but I'd rather it was me than a three-year-old."

'They need serious help'

Fearing for the safety of other children in the area, Mr Lambert alerted police and West Lothian council.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed the force was investigating and that inquiries were ongoing.

Mr Lambert added: "I dropped the blade down a drain and as soon as I got home I contacted police.

"I met officers and showed them were it was - they said they'd look at it for forensics or fingerprints.

"Ideally someone will get caught - that person needs serious help or put away."

In an effort to warn members of the public about the issue, Mr Lambert posted pictures of the razor and his injured hand on Facebook.

Within 24 hours the post had been shared over 4,000 times, with locals expressing fury and branding the act "disgusting".

Mr Lambert faces two weeks off work and significant loss of earnings as a result.

"Luckily I can afford to take two weeks off," he said. "But I've got a couple of big jobs that were supposed to have started - one was over £20,000 which is not happening now.

Related Topics Bathgate