Publican Terry Gaskin, who runs the Prince of Wales, Broxted, Essex, claimed one of his rattan and glass tables in the pub’s garden exploded at midday on Sunday (18 June), when temperatures in the area exceeded 30°C.
“It’s furniture that we have had for three years. It’s rattan and wicker and the table tops are glass, and it’s worked really well for us,” Gaskin explained.
However, after the operator opened the doors to punters on Sunday he heard a loud bang and swearing from the garden.
Shattered glass
When he got outside, Gaskin could see the sheet of glass topping one of his tables had “exploded” and shattered across the chairs and surrounding tables.
“One of the tables had literally exploded,” he claimed. “Nothing had touched it or was dropped on it and no one was, luckily, near it at the time.
“I’d hate to think what could have happened. My biggest fear is if there was a family with mum, dad and the kiddies sitting near it.”
Gaskin checked the other tabletops following the incident and discovered they were extremely hot, so closed the pub garden before removing them.
‘Busy day of trading’
“I was prepared for a busy day of trading because it was really hot outside, I was looking forward to getting some money in the till,” he added.
“I just want to warn others that this could be an issue because there must be hundreds of pubs, bars and clubs across the country with similar furniture in their gardens.”
However, Gaskin was unsure where he bought the furniture from because it was three years ago, but warned other publicans to be aware of what happened to him.
In recent years, the consumer media has reported on similar incidents of explosive garden furniture sold by popular supermarkets and discount chains.