POLICE are searching for three schoolchildren, at least one of them is thought to be injured, after a stolen all-terrain quad bike careered down a country road, hit a verge, jumped a dry-stone wall and hit a tree.

As they ran away, one of the boys was screaming that he had hurt his head.

The police helicopter was brought in to help look for the youths after the incident near to the Roggerham Gate public house on a narrow, winding country road between Worsthorne and Harle Syke, Burnley. Acting Insp Jeff Brown commented: "We had a police dog and three patrols up there very quickly.

"But despite that and having the helicopter out we did not find them.''

It was about 1.45pm yesterday that the quad bike was stolen from nearby and driven off carrying the three youths, all wearing school uniforms.

Acting Insp Brown said the bike crashed, jumping a dry-stone wall. He added: "It is obviously dangerous to have three people on a machine like that and they are lucky if none of them is seriously hurt."

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