A MOTHER whose son needed 10 stitches to his forehead following a building site accident today revealed that he would be scarred for life.

And although Alison Houghton, of Orchard Drive, Oswaldtwistle, has praised Fairclough Homes, who are developing the site, for making it safe, she said she had taken legal advice following the incident where her four-year-old son Sam was hit on the head by a piece of scaffolding.

She said he was lucky to be alive following the accident at a new estate in Apple Tree Way, Oswaldtwistle, at the end of April and added that next month he was due to be seen by an expert to determine how bad the scarring was likely to become. Sam's pal, Abigail Bannister, seven, was also involved in the accident and had to be pulled out after being trapped beneath a pile of rubble.

She suffered a hairline fracture to the base of her skull, a punctured lung, broken rib, internal and external bruising, a cracked pelvis, bruising on her face and chipped teeth.

Alison said: "Sam has got to go for an assessment next month. He is going to be scarred for life but a doctor will be able to tell us how serious it will be.

"He has totally recovered from the accident but we are looking into taking legal action.

"The site is absolutely magnificent now. It is very secure. But it has taken something like this to make sure it is safe and Sam and Abigail could easily have been killed."

Abigail and Sam were playing in some sand near the scaffolding when the accident happened at about 6.50pm on April 29. They were taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation after the accident but decided not to bring a prosecution after they were satisfied that the firm had made access to the site harder.

Nobody at Fairclough Homes was available for comment.