A CARE worker has admitted accidentally causing severe burns to an elderly woman by putting her in scalding water.

Linda Robson, 42, appeared at Durham magistrates court on Monday and admitted placing 91-year-old Mary Brander into the water without checking the temperature.

In her defence it was said she had never had any health and safety training and was unsupervised at the time.

Alun Williams, prosecuting on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said the bath could have been as hot as 89 degrees Celsius.

The incident happened in June last year, when Miss Robson was working as a care assistant at Durham County Council's Mendip House residential home in Chester-le-Street.

Mrs Brander had complained of constipation and Miss Robson took water from a tea boiler to give her a warm bath to ease her discomfort - an act that was not within proper care guidelines. The hot water caused severe burns to the elderly woman's buttocks.

Miss Robson was given a written warning by her employers and has since moved to another council-owned care home in the county.

In mitigation, Joanne Gatens, for the defence, said her client was extremely distressed and traumatised by what had happened, which had led to her suffering from depression.

She criticised Durham County Council, saying the way the home was run contributed to the incident. "Because of a lack of assistance on the day, she has been made to feel a scapegoat," said Ms Gatens.

She said Miss Robson had never had any health and safety training. She said there were acute staff shortages at Mendip House and workers' morale was low.

She also claimed that the use of a warm bath to ease constipation was common practice in the home and that the council had changed procedures at Mendip just three days after Mrs Brander was injured.

But a Durham County Council spokesman said: "The incident which resulted in this charge being brought involved neither normal nor accepted practice, as was suggested in court.

"This incident was fully investigated by the council and resulted in disciplinary action being taken against the member of staff involved."

Miss Robson, of The Wynd, Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, pleaded guilty to failing to discharge a duty of care. She was given a conditional discharge.