A FIVE-year-old boy who broke his leg on a children s roundabout was carried 150 yards home by his sister. The accident happened last Tuesday afternoon when Nathan Rawling, aged five, of Berners End, Barnston, was spinning his sister Abbie, on the piece o

A FIVE-year-old boy who broke his leg on a children's roundabout was carried 150 yards home by his sister.

The accident happened last Tuesday afternoon when Nathan Rawling, aged five, of Berners End, Barnston, was spinning his sister Abbie, on the piece of play equipment.

His foot slipped between the Watts Close roundabout and the ground causing the fibula in his right leg to snap.

Young Abbie said: "His leg was trapped under the roundabout and he kept crying.

"I had to push it [the roundabout] around a bit before I could get his leg out.

"I lifted him up and sat him on the roundabout and then was able to put him on to my back.

"He was quite heavy to carry and by the time I got home I was quite tired and my legs ached."

As soon as she got home with Nathan, their father Kevin then drove him to Springfield Hospital in Chelmsford, where he was kept in overnight.

Alison Blacklock, Nathan's mother, said: "He has broken the fibula in his right leg.

"He's a bit miserable at the moment because he is having to sit around and is finding it all a bit boring.

"He's normally a very lively boy. His favourite subject at school is PE. Sitting around isn't something that comes naturally to him."

She said she was full of praise for Abbie: "She was fantastic, she took it all in her stride.

"Abbie didn't know his leg was broken when it happened, she just said she would take him home.

"She was worried when she found out it was broken.

"She was afraid it might have been her fault that he broke it because she took him to the park in the first place. She knows now that it wasn't her fault.

"He wasn't overly screaming when they got back. He was on the sofa and whenever I went near his leg he was in pain."

Nathan, who goes to Rodings Primary School, is getting around using a wheelchair that has been supplied by the Red Cross.

"We are not sure if he will be able to go back to school straight away because we are uncertain of the facilities the school has for disabled people," explained Ms Blacklock. "We can't find out until the schools reopen."

If Nathan cannot return to school when it reopens after the Easter break, he will stay at home with his mother.

Barnston Parish Council, who is responsible for the play equipment, apologised for the accident and said the piece of equipment had been removed as soon as possible.

Delyse Jackamen, Barnston Parish Council clerk, said: "We are very sorry that this accident has happened and we removed the equipment as quickly as we could to prevent any other similar accidents occurring."

Mrs Jackamen explained that she was informed of the accident on

Wednesday night and the roundabout was removed on Thursday afternoon.

She said the incident would be discussed at the next parish council meeting when a decision would be made on what will be done to replace it.

"I doubt the roundabout will be put back," said Mrs Jackamen, "but I can't say what will be put in its place. That will all depend on what funding is available.