THE mother of a boy blinded in one eye after an accident involving an apple tree has hit out at council bosses who gave permission for it to be pulled down but said: "It'll cost you."

The apple tree in the garden of Rita Entwistle's council home in Railton Avenue, Blackburn, attracted youngsters who tried to knock fruit from its branches.

But disaster struck when her five-year-old son Simon (pictured with her) was blinded in one eye when he was accidentally hit by another boy trying to knock fruit from the tree with an iron bar.

She appealed for help from the council but said officials who had been out to inspect the tree had told her it was not dangerous -- if she wanted it removed it was up to her to have it chopped down.

Tree surgeons have estimated it could cost anywhere between £50 and £150 for the work, and Rita said there was no way she could afford this as she is unemployed and her husband is on disability benefit. Roger Vincent, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said he could not comment on this specific case, but said: "We have warned of the dangers of incidents of kids throwing things such as iron bars and stones into trees for conkers and apples, and in this case the tragedy we feared has happened.

"We would hope the council and the tenant would be able to come to some arrangement." Rita said she would not let her son Simon out to play near the tree, and added: "It's the council's property and they should be doing something about it."

Rita said each year she faced the same problems of up to 14 or 15 youths in her back garden picking the apples, and she feared something terrible would happen. But despite her pleas for a fence to be put up between her garden and the rundown property next door to prevent youths getting to the tree, she said the council had done nothing to help.

Rita said: "They said they would only take it down if it was in danger of falling. They are saying we have to do it ourselves, which would be impossible."

Ian Bell, housing community service manager for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "The council has offered to attend to the tree on behalf of the tenant who would be charged at the appropriate way." However, he was unable to say how much this would cost.