A SCHOOLBOY was flown to hospital after suffering head and back injuries falling out a tree.

The boy was climbing a tree when he fell into the grounds of Saint Bartholomew’s School, in Hall Street, Whitworth, at around 1.40pm yesterday.

Ambulance crews and an air ambulance were called to the scene, and the fire service was also called to cut a padlock off the school gates.

Paramedics used a spinal board to carry the boy to the helicopter, where he was flown to Manchester Children’s Hospital with suspected head and spinal injuries.

Watch manager Chris Howarth, from Bacup Fire Station, urged children to be aware of the dangers of climbing trees, and the potential for serious injury to occur.