FAMILY and friends of a stricken nine-year-old - who fell through a factory roof and suffered a serious head injury - have thanked his supporters in Blackburn.

Leon Langford, of Longshaw Lane, was placed in an induced coma by paediatricians after the horror plunge at business premises in Rockfield Street.

He was discovered by staff at North West Tippers when they arrived for work on Monday, having previously been reported missing on Sunday night.

The Longshaw Community Juniors youngster was airlifted to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital following the fall.

His family, including dad Dave and stepmother Adele, have already thanked those who took part in the hunt for Leon, who disappeared after playing out with friends in nearby Ivy Street, and for all the goodwill messages since his fate was made public.

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Paul Hawthornthwaite, headteacher at Longshaw, said: "Leon is a lovely lad and everybody is missing him greatly.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time."

His football club, Mill Hill Juniors, has also paid tribute to the junior sports community in East Lancashire, after being flooded with social media messages, offering their support.

Club official Nathan Sargeson, on behalf of the Mill Hill Juniors Committee, posted a social media message yesterday.

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He said: “Firstly please can we say a massive ‘thank you’ to the #MillHillJuniorsFamily yesterday as your social media support was amazing and fantastic to see how we can come together for Leon and his family, very proud!

“Leon is at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. Leon’s injuries are still serious but we hear he’s in a stable condition and is doing us all proud by fighting hard whilst we pray on his speedy recovery.

“We look forward to giving him some gifts from the club and seeing a smile on his face.”

A joint investigation has been launched by the police and fire service and the Health and Safety Executive has also been informed about the incident.