Schoolgirl, nine, left with an iPhone-shaped scar on her leg after toxic glitter leaked from a New Look phone case onto her leg and gave her a chemical burn

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A schoolgirl has been left scarred for life after her snow globe style iPhone case leaked a toxic liquid that burned through her skin.

The decorative protective covering nine-year-old Olivia Retter used to guard her phone burst open while she was fast asleep in bed.

Bought at New Look, the plastic backing was similar to snow globe, containing a thick liquid that allowed glitter sparkles and unicorn and rainbow shapes to move around when shaken.

The decorative protective covering nine-year-old Olivia Retter (pictured, left, with mother Karly) used to guard her phone burst open while she was fast asleep in bed. The chemical transferred onto the young girl's leg - burning the shape of the phone (right) into her skin. Karly chose to share the image to warn other parents about the potential danger of the case

However, its outer lining split while under Olivia's leg, allowing the viscous substance to ooze out onto the edge of the iPhone 5C.

The chemical then transferred onto the young girl's leg - burning the shape of the phone into her skin as she slept.

Olivia woke up in agony, but it was not until the morning that she and mother Karly discovered the horror injury she had been left with.

Karly, 35, a cleaner, said: 'Olivia is not supposed to have her phone in her bedroom at night but she sneaked it in and had it in her bed, so she fell asleep with it touching her leg.

'She woke up in the middle of the night and came into my room and said her leg was hurting - I just thought she was being silly and sent her back to bed.

'Then in the morning I saw this awful burn on her leg - I was so shocked a phone case could do that.

'Doctors have said it is a severe chemical burn and she will be scarred for life. I can't believe it, she will have a scar in the shape of a phone on her leg.' 

Olivia (left) woke up in agony, but it was not until the morning that she and mother Karly discovered the horror injury she had been left with. Bought at New Look, the plastic backing (right) was similar to snow globe, containing a liquid that allowed glitter sparkles and unicorn and rainbow shapes to move around when shaken

Olivia, from Ware, Hertfordshire, bought the £5.99 phone case from the New Look store in Cambridge on December 27.

She fell asleep with her phone lying in the bed next to her on January 2.

When she woke up the following morning she found a painful red burn on her right thigh.

Upon inspection, the schoolgirl then realised the clear liquid inside the phone case had leaked onto her bare skin.

There was no visible crack which showed exactly where it had escaped from, but was found along the edge of the £400 handset.

Karly rushed Olivia to the doctor who confirmed her injury was a severe chemical burn caused by acid.

She was given dressings to wear but told she will be left with the outline of the phone scarred on her body forever.

A spokesman for New Look (pictured in a stock photograph) confirmed that all stores have been instructed to stop selling the case immediately

Karly, a mother-of-three to Olivia, Ruby, 15, and 10-year-old Isabella, says she has rung New Look's customer service department three times over the incident but so far has received no response. 

She said: 'There wasn't a safety warning or anything at all on the case itself - nothing which warns you what was inside is a chemical which can cause serious burns.

'Imagine if it had leaked when Olivia was on the phone or holding it to her face - it could have gone on her face or her eyes.

'You just don't think something like that could happen.

'A lot of young girls have similar phone cases and they have no idea how dangerous they are.'

A spokesman for New Look said: 'New Look has spoken with the customer involved and takes complaints of this nature extremely seriously.

'In line with our health and safety procedure, we have now instructed all stores to remove the product in question from the shop floor with immediate effect.

'Our quality team have also begun an investigation with the supplier to understand and prevent this from happening in the future.'

Karly chose to share the image of her daughter's scarring online as a warning to other parents who may be looking an buying similar cases.

It has since been shared more than 13,000 times on Facebook.