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Fire service save boy stuck up tree
Kerry Williams with son Steven Williams, who was rescued by the fire service after getting stuck 40 foot up a tree. (METP-13-07-10PF413) Picture: Paul Franks
A LOVING mum has warned children not to climb up large trees after her young son was stuck perilously 40 feet above the ground.
Kerry Williams (33), of Kesteven Walk, Peterborough, had to call the fire service after son Steven (9) got stuck up a tree near to Chestnuts Playcentre in Norman Road at 7.15pm on Friday.
He had been playing with brothers Andrew (12) and Billy (11) under her supervision, but climbed to a dangerous height after Kerry took her eyes off him “for a couple of minutes” to talk with a friend.
A fire crew had to use a ladder to reach the youngster but he had become so caught up in the branches of the tree that a firefighter had to use a saw to cut a way through to him.
Kerry said: “It scared the hell out of me.
“If he had fallen he would have broken his legs or his spine – he could even have died.
“I saw a friend and started talking to them for a couple of minutes but when I turned back around he was a good 40 feet in the air. I couldn’t believe it.
“He was very scared and wanted to come down, but it wasn’t safe for him to climb down because once he realised he was so high up he was shaking and could have lost his footing.
“The owner of Chestnuts told me to phone for a fire engine. I did that straight away.
“He has been a bit scared since he was rescued and I have told him and his brothers not to play in trees any more.
“My message to other parents is to not let their kids out of their sight if they are playing on trees, or not to let them up them at all.
“It’s just so dangerous.”
Steven, who is a pupil at Abbotsmede Primary School, has vowed that he will never climb a tree so high ever again.
He said: “It was the highest I have been up a tree and I will never climb that high again. I just kept on climbing and didn’t realise how high I was until I started to come down.
“I was worried I might fall and hurt myself.
“The firemen were really nice though and I was happy to be back on the ground.”
Steven’s older brother, Andrew, said: “I tried to go up and save him but it was just so high up.
“My mum said not to get myself into danger too so we waited for the firemen.”
And dad Richie said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard what had happened.
“It’s such a normal thing for a kid to climb a tree and we are very thankful the fire service could help get him down.
Dogsthorpe crew manager Kevin Robbs said: “He was 40 feet in the air and that presented an obvious danger.
“We are not saying to never climb trees but rather to apply a degree of caution.”
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
