A BOY broke both his arms after falling 15ft from a rope swing.

And now his father has warned other youngsters to steer clear of rope swings during the summer break.

Mark Campy believes his son Lewis, 10, had a lucky escape when he fell around 15ft into the River Calder, Burnley, after the rope broke.

He broke both his arms, and will miss out on most of his summer holiday, but Mr Campy said his son was lucky not to have been killed.

Mr Campy, of Allerton Drive, Burnley, had warned Lewis, a pupil at St Mary Magdeline's School, and a friend not to go to the river when he went out for the day, but the pair played on the rope swing.

Lewis fell around 15ft down the banking, and had to stay there for more than 20 minutes while his friend went to find help.

Mr Campy said: "He was shaking with pain by the time I arrived so we just put him in the car and drove him straight to the hospital.

"He's got two breaks in one arm and one in the other, so he can't go out and run around, and he can't sit and play on the Xbox either so he's going to have a pretty miserable summer holiday.

"But I don't think even he realises just how serious it could have been. I could have been going down there to find a body.

"I'd warned him and his friend's parents had as well but kids always think they know best.

"Hopefully a few of them will think differently now.

"Lots of kids will have got away with it, but one day one of them won't."

As part of safety advice to youngsters over the summer, police have already warned of the dangers of rope swings.

Officers said there had been deaths throughout the country over the past few years as a result of children falling from the swings.

And they have encouraged children to use organised play areas, and to avoid rope swings in woodland and over rivers.