Alarms up: Careful with small batteries, they can be swallowed by children

Professor Stephen Pawis, medical director of NHS called on parents to be vigilant during the holiday season, when there will inevitably be more batteries around.

They are found in festive lights, Christmas music cards, decorations, and toys and remote controls.

Also known as “, they can burn a hole in the throat, which can lead to catastrophic internal bloodshed and death in less than two hours.

In September, the two-year-old Elsie-Rose, by Sheffield, almost died after he swallowed a battery that had fallen from a toy.

Last week, five - year - old Shaylah Carmichael, from Melbourne, was in an educational coma after it was found to have a battery in his throat.