A DUAL carriageway was closed today after a boy fell from a bridge.

Police were called to the A56 near Haslingden Tesco supermarket around 1.15pm.

The boy, aged 13 and believed to be a pupil of Haslingden High School, survived the fall and is in a stable condition in hospital.

A police spokesman said: "We were called at shortly after 1pm today to reports a boy had fallen from a bridge over the A56 at Haslingden.

"Emergency services attended and the boy, aged 13, was treated for injuries at the scene and was taken by ambulance to hospital.

"He is currently in a stable condition and his injuries are not believed to be life threatening. His family have been informed and are being supported by officers.

"The incident has clearly caused a great deal of upset in the local community and while we appreciate the many supportive comments people have left on social media, we would urge people to think about what they are posting and not to speculate as this can be unhelpful and hurtful.

"The road was closed for three and a half hours while we dealt with the incident."

The road was reopened around 5pm after initial investigations were completed.

The incident comes after an inquest earlier this week heard Haslingden High sixth form student Rachel Collins, 17, took her own life by falling from a bridge in a similar spot on the A56 last October.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 1.13pm this afternoon.

“We came with the air ambulance, rapid response vehicle, and senior clinician.

“The person was taken to the hospital by a land ambulance.”

Cllr David Stansfield, who represents the Helmshore ward said: “My heart goes out to the boy's friends and family.

“If it is down to mental health problems we need to urge people to go to the doctors and talk about their health needs and try to get it sorted out.

“We have to try to instil to people that if they have got a problem then they should call someone and chat about it.

“It is a hard thing to sort. There was the teenager who fell from the bridge and died and she had problems of her own."

Police are requesting any witnesses who have not yet spoken to them or any drivers with dashcam footage, to contact them on 101 quoting log 685 of January 9th.