Nick Silverthorn pictured with a similar razor to the one he was using when he was injured (Image: Tony Kershaw/SWNS)
A man says he was made £5,000 richer after a quick trip to Sainsbury’s to buy a razor ended in him cutting his skin.
Nick Silverthorn, 48, purchased a supermarket own brand razor from his local store. But when he got home and used it for the first time he says it cut both cheeks.
He discovered that one of the razor blades was detached and concluded that the razor was defective. Instead of dismissing his injuries as a mere mishap, he decided to take legal action against the razor manufacturer.
Remarkably, he was granted an out-of-court settlement against Wilkinson Sword, one of the world’s leading razor companies.
“This was no ordinary shaving cut. It sliced my skin. My cuts bled for over 20 minutes,” said Nick, from London.
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Nick Silverthorn cut himself shaving with a supermarket own brand razor. (Image: SWNS)
“I took action to protect others as they may not be as lucky as me. This was a serious fault. It was a matter of principle to take the big boys on and I did and won”.
Wanting to look fresh for his family over the festive period, he had visited his local Sainsbury’s store in Richmond, London, and purchased a £2.50 Men Advance 3 razor. However, when he began shaving on Boxing Day 2023, he cut his face.
“I put on the hot tap and my shaving lotion and I was on autopilot. I started shaving on one side with one stroke and then another stroke on the other side,” he said.
”I noticed after a few seconds that I had started bleeding badly on my left cheek and then on my right hand side as well and before I knew, it was streaming down my face.”
Unlike previous instances when he had nicked his face while shaving, this felt entirely different.
Nick continued: “It just kept coming. Due to the wounds being on my face it took me nearly half an hour dabbing with tissues before the blood finally stopped pumping out of the cuts.”
Nick Silverthorn cut himself shaving with a supermarket own brand razor. (Image: SWNS)
He inspected the razor and discovered one of the blades was detached in the razor head.
Nick, who works part-time as a landscape gardener, added: “When I saw the blade hanging out I thought that could have done some real damage. It wasn’t just an everyday nick or cut I had been given. It had sliced into my skin
“I had been shaving for thirty years and never had cuts like this.”
Quick-thinking Nick asked relatives to photograph the cuts on his face and also preserved the razor, box and receipt as evidence.
His wounds took weeks to heal properly, leaving him with scars on his cheek. The trauma of being cut led to recurring nightmares for months afterwards.
He further added: “I had had a bad experience with operations and blood in the past and it took me straight back and I kept seeing blood on my face in my dreams. It was a bad time for me.”
Instead of discarding the faulty razor, Nick reached out to product liability specialists Express Solicitors.
They contacted Sainsbury’s who referred them to razor giant Wilkinson Sword, the manufacturer of their own brand product.
Nick Silverthorn cut himself shaving with a supermarket own brand razor. (Image: SWNS)
The brand sent the razor for tests and a month later offered to settle Nick’s claim for £5,000 without admitting any liability.
Jack Klein, a product liability expert at Express Solicitors who settled the case on behalf of Nick in ten months, said: “Not many people who cut themselves shaving would think to sue one of the world’s biggest razor companies.
“But Nick did and by keeping the razor as proof he won a settlement. It just shows that if you are injured by any product there may be a valid claim no matter how big the company are.”
Sainsbury’s and Wilkinson Sword have been approached for a comment.