Most shocking stories 2015

Liquid nitrogen cocktail case: Wine bar fined £100,000 after woman has stomach removed

By Emily Sutherland

- Last updated on GMT

Gaby Scanlon had to have her stomach removed after drinking a liquid nitrogen cocktail at Oscar's
Gaby Scanlon had to have her stomach removed after drinking a liquid nitrogen cocktail at Oscar's

Related tags Liquid nitrogen Temperature Food standards agency

A wine bar has been fined £100,000 after a woman had to have her stomach removed after drinking a liquid nitrogen cocktail.

Gaby Scanlon was celebrating her 18th​ birthday when she drank a Nitro-Jagermeister at Oscar’s Wine Bar and started to suffer agonising stomach pains.

The wine bar pleaded guilty to one count of failing in the duty of the employer to ensure the safety of persons not in its employment.

Judge Pamela Badley said that failings at the bar ‘fell far short of standards.’

Conservative MP David Morris called for a ban on liquid nitrogen cocktails in the wake of the incident and said he was ‘very angry’ that one of his constituents had been injured by the substance.

The Food Standards Agency urged people to be aware of the dangers of drinking liquid nitrogen. Although it isn’t toxic, the extremely cold temperature can make it unsafe to drink.

FSA head of incident management Colin Houston said: “There are safety and handling guidelines around the use of liquid nitrogen, especially in relation to food. It is the business owner’s responsibility to make sure that their staff have been trained and are aware of the potential risks of using liquid nitrogen.

"They also have to have appropriate safety measures in place to protect both their staff and consumers.”

Related topics Health & safety

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