A woman who tried to make tea in a glass jug and was scalded when it exploded has been awarded €56,000 by the High Court.

The court accepted it was a custom in Slovakia to make tea in glass jugs and ruled Dunnes Stores should have labelled the jug with a warning that it was unsuitable for hot liquids.

Mr Justice Kevin Cross ruled Dunnes Stores was negligent in selling the jug made from a non-tempered glass without a warning label.

However, he ruled that Eva Cekanova, who is originally from Slovakia, and has lived in Ireland for a number of years was partially responsible for the accident because she should have checked if the jug was safe to use.

He made a finding of contributory negligence, ruling that she was 25% responsible.

Ms Cekanova, 30, of Windmill Terrace, Clonsilla, Dublin had sued Dunnes Stores over the accident with the jug, which she bought at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin on 5 December 2015.

Mr Justice Cross said making tea in a glass jug was not an Irish custom, but it is a custom in other parts of the EU.

He said the cultural certainties of an Ireland of "sturdy youths and maidens dancing at the crossroads" is no longer applicable to this country.

The judge said he accepted that in Slovakia, which is Ms Cekanova's home country, and in parts of eastern Europe it is the custom to make tea in a glass jug.

Dunnes Stores ought to have known people in Ireland from foreign countries will use a glass jug and pour hot water in it.

Ms Cekanova suffered scalding wounds and ugly blisters and has been left with scarring.

Mr Justice Cross said she had not exaggerated her complaints and it was highly commendable she returned to work two weeks after the accident.

Mr Justice Cross said she suffered a significant injury and will have the marks from the burns for all of her life.

Assessing the total damages to be €75,844, the judge reduced the award by 25% to allow for the contributory negligence, bringing the final total awarded to €56,883.

In her High Court claim, Ms Cekanov, said tea is made in a big glass jug in Slovakia.

She said she boiled a kettle in her Dublin apartment and let it sit for a few minutes before pouring the hot water, which was at a temperature of between 80 to 90 degrees, on top of a watermelon teabag in the tall jug.

"I was just making tea, like I did a million times before and it never happened. The water was not boiling," she said.

She said the tall jug shattered into pieces and she fell back so that the liquid hit her thigh knee and legs and she suffered burns, which has left her with scarring.

Dunnes Stores denied all the claims and denied that the incident occurred as alleged.

It contended Ms Cekanova failed to heed a warning sticker on the jug, which Dunnes said specifically states not to use hot water in the jug.

The High Court heard Dunnes Stores has sold 11,000 such glass jugs, which are hand blown in Mexico in the last four years and the only complaint has been from Ms Cekanova.