A NINE-year-old boy was gruesomely impaled on the spikes of a metal fence as he tried to retrieve his football from a garage roof.

Studley Junior School pupil Shane Davis slipped and speared his arm on a security fence surrounding the Beth Johnson Housing Development in Ridgeway Close on Thursday afternoon.

The Allendale Crescent youngster had been playing football with a friend when the ball landed on a garage roof but when he tried to retrieve it, the accident occurred.

He was unable to release his arm and started panicking but a kind- hearted resident in her 60s came to his rescue, lifting him and freeing his arm before taking him to the Alexandra Hospital.

Shane's mum, Kath Davis, said: "When I received the call saying Shane had been rushed to hospital, I was in a dreadful state.

"My husband was in London at the time. When he was contacted and told what had happened, he had to travel all the way back with the most terrifying thoughts in his head. We both felt physically sick with fear."

She added: "Shane was taken to theatre where his wounds were treated. Despite the hospital staff being wonderful, he was quite understandably terrified."

Mrs Davis criticised the height of the fence, saying it was too easy to reach over.

"This fence is ridiculous. Youngsters are able to reach up and over it. If you're going to erect a security fence with vicious spikes on top, it should be far higher than 5ft 6ins,'' she said.

"I don't want to see this happen to other youngsters. The results could be even worse. Shane's shaken and very sore but the consequences could have been dreadful."

A Beth Johnson Housing Group spokesman said they were not willing to make a comment until they had carried out an investigation.

Mrs Davis said she was grateful to the resident who came to her son's aid.

''As he panicked, he would only have succeeded in getting the spike to sink in even deeper," she added.

"He is quite nervous about going outdoors now - the incident has ruined his entire summer holiday."