A YORK mother has issued a warning to parents after her young son was badly injured while playing near the family home.

Wayne Mckie, seven, of Dodsworth Avenue, was playing on a makeshift swing when he suffered a wound requiring eight staples and a week off school.

Now his mother Julia is warning other parents to watch out.

She said: "Wayne wasn't far from home, he was with his brothers and his friends, but he really hurt himself.

"I just don't want other parents to have to go through all this, so I want to tell them to keep an eye on their kids at all times."

Wayne was playing on the swing made by other children close to Arran Place.

The accident happened because the boys had failed to notice a large lump of metal below the swing area.

It was this that caused Wayne's injuries, and resulted in him spending several hours in Accident and Emergency at York Hospital.

Julia said: "It really shook him up, he was in a lot of pain, it happened at the beginning of last week, but he couldn't sit down until a couple of days ago, so he couldn't go to school all week because of that either."

Now Wayne is waiting to have the eight staples removed and to try to get back to normal.

The incident does not seem to have dampened the youngster's spirits too much.

Mum Julia said: "I think he's quite enjoying all the attention. Every time someone asks to see his wound he shows them - by pulling his pants down and showing them the scar on his bum."

Updated: 08:58 Thursday, April 10, 2003