AN INJURED schoolboy lay trapped after falling off the roof of an electricity sub station.

His distressed friends raised the alarm at 9.35pm, last Friday.

"The child was lucky to come away with only a suspected broken ankle," warned leading firefighter John Monaghan.

"It could have been much, much worse. Prior to the accident, the children had been told by neighbours to get down from the roof, however, they had not taken any notice of the warnings." The accident happened in Pump Lane, Halton Village, Runcorn. The 12-year-old boy was trapped between the walls of the sub station and an adjacent building. Firefighters used ladders to reach him.

Leading firefighter Monaghan said: "The child's ankle had to be immobilized before he was manhandled up out of the gap and back on to the power station roof.

"He was then lowered to safety by firefighters."