A ten-year-old schoolgirl is recovering after she became impaled on a mattress wire.

The girl, a pupil at Coppins Green Primary School in Clacton, was playing at a friend's house using the mattress to jump on when the wire burst through the material and stuck into the back of her knee.

The youngsters were staying at Brian White's house in Vista Road, Clacton, following a party the night before.

"They were all playing upstairs and the children were jumping from one mattress, which had been folded over and turned on its side, on to another one on the floor," he said.

"The wire had forced its way through and the youngster had impaled herself on it. As soon as we saw it, we decided not to try to get her off and called the ambulance."

Mr White said the paramedics also called the fire service, who used wire cutters to free the girl, and she was taken to hospital to have it removed by medical staff.

She was allowed home after treatment but needs to go back to have the injury checked later this week.

"It looked pretty horrific and another child virtually fainted," added Mr White.

"Fortunately it looked a lot worse than it eventually turned out to be. I suppose the lesson to be learned is not to use a mattress as a trampoline."

By Nigel Brown

Reporter's e-mail: nigel_brown@thisisessex.co.uk

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