A MUM has described the terrifying moment her little boy fell unconscious after hitting his head on part of a metal pole.

Billy Nicholl, nine, had been playing with friends on the green area in the Fold, Basildon, when he toppled backwards.

His head hit the pole which sticks out from the ground by about an inch.

Billy passed out within minutes and was taken to Basildon Hospital where the nasty, oneinch wide wound was glued back together.

He also suffered concussion and will be off school for at least a week.

Mrs Kerry Nicholl, 35, who believes the pole might be part of an old playground, is adamant it should have been removed years ago. However, Basildon Council says it had no idea it was there and it has not been reported before.

Kerry said: “When he got up he held his head, but didn’t realise until he pulled his hand away that there was all the blood.

There was blood everywhere, he lost a lot of blood.

“I have never been that frightened in my life, having your child is pass out with blood all over him. It was just awful. I am absolutely fuming, this could have happened to any child, it could have been life threatening.

“It is a residential area, you think the kids are going to be safe. It is really bad they haven’t done their job properly and taken the poles away.”

Billy was kept in hospital after the fall at 6pm on Monday and doctors advised his mum to keep a close eye on him for the next 48 hours.

Mum-of-two Mrs Nicholl has now lodged an official complaint with Basildon Council. A spokesman said: “The Commission for New Towns handed over the Fold green area to Basildon Council in 1994 and there was no playground equipment on it at that time, so we can’t speculate on when or why it was removed. However, a team was on site yesterday to dig up the pole and any others found, but we’re unsure what it was ever used for.

“It’s about an inch in diameter, so unlikely to be large enough to support a swing or seesaw.”