A RISCA woman who received horrific burns when she was struck by hot oil in her workplace has vowed to never set foot in a takeaway again and fears she may never get over her fear of cooking.

Sarah Bennett, 25, was a former counter assistant at the Frydays fish and chip shop at Elm Drive in Risca.

On September 18, just two weeks after starting her job, Ms Bennett was struck by hot oil on her feet, left leg and back while her employer, Sunil Bhalla, was emptying the fryer.

Ms Bennett, a mother of one, said that Mr Bhalla was changing the oil in the fryer, using a saucepan and cup, and had left five litres of oil in a barrel placed on a nearby stool.

Ms Bennett was around two metres away from the stool, making a customer a drink at the slush puppy machine.

While she was doing this, the barrel tipped over and the bubbling oil seeped through her crocs, leaving her with horrific burns.

She said: “There was just so much of it.

“I was skating on the oil and was trying to take my pinny and shoes off. He tried to pull me with his arms but I slipped. I was screaming and he went to get me water to put my feet into ice buckets.

“I was biting into his coat and the pain was worse than giving birth. I’ve never had pain like it.

“I was just in shock and it felt like a lifetime waiting for the ambulance.

“I don’t want to ever set foot in a takeaway again. I don’t cook at home anymore and I'm not sure if I ever will.”

Ms Bennett was rushed to the Royal Gwent Hospital and given 14mg of morphine to ease the excruciating pain. After just a day at the Gwent, she was transferred to Morriston Hospital, where she has spent more than eight months attending weekly appointments.

Ms Bennett has to wear a special sock for her scarring for the next 18 months and cannot be out in the sun.

Her former employer, Mr Bhalla, appeared at Newport Magistrates Court on April 10. He pleaded guilty to all three charges against him: two relating to his general duty to his employee and one relating to a breach in health and safety regulations.

The court found that he did not ensure that a safe system of work was in place when emptying oil from the fryer, and that he did not provide safety footwear for staff.

He was fined £4,000 for all three offences and was also ordered to pay costs of £1,144 and a victim surcharge of £120.