A 12-year-old boy was impaled on a metal railing in Chadwell Heath yesterday evening.

Firefighters were called to the scene to free the boy, who survived the horrific accident around 7pm in Heathfield Park Drive.

Crews had to cut the metal railing so the boy, named locally as Josh, could be taken to hospital with it still inside.

A firefighter who was at the scene said: “We think he had tried to jump the fence.

“It had gone through the bottom of his chest and out the top but amazingly it hadn’t punctured any organs.

“He was a very lucky boy.”

One of the men who lives on the street held the boy up so that the spike did not cause more damage while they were waiting for the fire brigade to arrive.

A step ladder was also brought out for the boy to stand on.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said: “My neighbour was holding him up as his own weight was making the injuries worse.

“You don’t know what to do for the best. He was pretty upset by it. It turns your stomach.”

Gus Singer, 40, who lives in the road, said many people jump over that fence as there is a shop and school on the other side and it is a long walk otherwise.

Fellow neighbour Margherita Hooper, 77, said another boy previously hurt his arm when he tried to jump the same fence but this latest incident was particularly shocking.

She said: “They put a mask on him to help him breathe and were all out there for a long time. I got so scared so I didn’t go close. I was really crying – I felt so sorry for him.”

Paramedics, an ambulance and the London Air Ambulance were called to the scene.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Our staff treated a 12-year-old boy for chest injuries and he was taken to the Royal London Hospital as a priority.

“He was conscious and breathing.”

The boy’s condition is not known. If you know how he is or saw the accident, please call 0208 477 3821 or email lizzie.dearden@archant.co.uk.