A SCHOOLBOY, aged 15, who was speared by a rusty steel spike in an horrific school accident is expected to make a full recovery.

James Boylan was trapped in agony on top of fencing, skewered by the three-quarters-of-an-inch diameter spike which had pierced straight through the top of his thigh.

The teenager was trapped for more than an hour on the fence down the side of Hesketh Fletcher High School, Atherton. The accident happened as James slipped as he climbed over the metal fence from a playing field. Two of his school pals helped support his weight until help arrived.

Firefighters arrived at the Hamilton Street school at 12.40pm on Monday to discover the spiked railing was sticking straight through his leg. Paramedics and firemen worked together and a section of the fence was cut free and rescuers laid the teenager on the ground. A specialist team of doctors, who attended from the Royal Bolton Hospital, administered morphine to help calm the youngster, who was in great pain, before the fire service could continue the task.

The boy's father, Jim, who was called to the scene to help comfort his son and staff from the school were at his side during the rescue. James was then taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital for surgery to remove the spike and assess and repair the damage caused.

Fire chiefs praised the teenager for his bravery. Sub officer Paul Abbott, from Atherton Fire Station, said: "He was very brave and the whole ordeal must have been very traumatic for him. He is a big lad and weighs about 14 stone, so there was some force on his leg.

"We had to cut a square foot of fence around his leg to get him off the railings. A medical team from Royal Bolton came to give him morphine on site to deaden the pain while we cut more of the fence section away, and he was taken to hospital with the rusty metal spike still protruding through his leg."

The fire chief said the accident should act as a warning to other children.

Sub Officer Abbott said: "This is a lesson to other youngsters who might consider climbing similar fences. Railings are for keeping people out, or in in this case, not for climbing over. As this has proved, it can be very dangerous and can have serious consequences."

He added: "It is much safer to use the gate!"

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Ambulance Service said: "This was an extremely awkward painstaking task for all the emergency services involved."

Headteacher Dr Ted Walker said: "He was very brave under the circumstances and the other pupils with him deserve praise for their quick thinking. Everyone's thoughts at the school are with the boy and his family."

Health and safety officials at Wigan Council have been informed and an investigation is underway.

Mr Jim Boylan said : "He is likely to make a good recovery, he will be back in theatre this morning to hopefully repair muscle damage and close the wound, which the consultant is hopeful he will fully recover from.

"I hope that it will act as a deterrent to other kids not to climb on these fences."