Dustin's deckchair disaster

Dustin Hoffman may be a member of Hollywood's elite - but he has discovered all men are equal before the humble but dangerous deckchair.

Hoffman, who turns 65 tomorrow, suffered a deep cut in his finger during last week's heatwave while attempting to erect the green canvas chair in the garden of his Kensington home. It suddenly collapsed as he held its frame, catching his right hand and leaving him nursing a bloody digit.

The accident is a timely warning for anyone thinking of unfolding a seat to take advantage of the summer sun. Out shopping on Sloane Street, the actor said: "When I went to see the doctor about it he said, 'You're the eighth person I've seen recently who has had the same accident'."

The star of Rain Man and The Graduate showed off his heavily bandaged finger, the arm resting in a sling, adding: "It bled very badly." He also offered to display the offending garden furniture, though such was the scarring effect of his ordeal, refused to touch it himself.

"He seems genuinely scared," said a photographer. "He said, 'I'm not going anywhere near that chair.'" Hoffman is even thought to be pondering a lawsuit.

Despite the injury, however, the Oscar winner's work on Neverland, a new film about Peter Pan author JM Barrie, has not been interrupted.

Hoffman's experience is far from unusual. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 9,300 people are taken to hospital every year after being injured in incidents involving outdoor fittings.

RoSPA spokesman Roger Vincent said: "Injuries involving garden seats, deckchairs and benches around the home account for 4,500 people going to hospital every year. A further 4,800 need hospital treatment after accidents involving furniture in public places such as parks and beaches."

Mr Vincent said Hoffman's deckchair disaster should serve as a warning for holidaymakers this summer: "Deckchairs aren't always stable and can easily trap fingers, so care needs to be taken when opening them.

"People being trapped in them has been the subject of comedy films for years and it's always funny when it happens to somebody else. But it won't bring a smile to your face when you're the one in pain."