THE boy who plunged 35 feet down a ravine while walking on a public path has returned home after doctors hailed his "miracle" recovery.

And today Rossendale Council pledged to put up a fence at the spot where he fell to prevent further accidents.

Daniel Bennett, 12, is back home at Kirk View, Waterfoot, recovering from a broken collar bone and surgery on a blood clot on his brain.

Daniel's mum Heather was told by doctors that it was a "miracle" Daniel did not suffer more serious injuries from the plunge.

Heather, 41, said: "The doctors said it was a miracle to receive only those injuries."

Heather described what happened on the day Daniel fell.

She said: "When we got to the scene we weren't allowed to go down and see him. They told me he was awake and talking. I was shaking with worry.

"I thought the worst."

Daniel was flown by air ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain.

But within a day he was transferred from intensive care.

Heather said: "I just could not believe how quickly he recovered. He was wanting all the drips taken off and the bandage on his head, which he said was like a helmet.

"I was convinced he would end up in a wheelchair at the very least."

Rossendale Council who own the area where Daniel fell are putting up a protective fence tomorrow.

Daniel's best pal Joseph St Ledger, 11, of Bottoms Row, Cowpe, was with Daniel when he fell.

Joseph said: "I could hear him hitting rocks as he fell down to the bottom and I followed the path back down to see if he was all right.

"When I got to him he had blood coming from his head and he could talk and was saying he just wanted to go home. I told him to stay still while I ran to a nearby coal yard and asked them to ring for an ambulance.

"I thought he was going to die. We were just going up there to play on the football field on the top on my bike."

John Haines, development services manager of Rossendale Council, said: "The investigation has been carried out and fencing is going up tomorrow. We are putting it up to prevent further accidents.

"It is a public right of way. What looks to have happened is that through usage the footpath has widened. People have been walking on the side of it rather than up the steep steps."

Mr Haines said that predicting where accidents could occur on Rossendale's footpaths was very difficult.

He said: "We have got hundreds of footpaths and we have quite a few in particularly dangerous places. No-one did a risk assessment on that footpath, but we would not carry one out unless we were doing work on a path."