AN ACCIDENT at the weekend has prompted renewed pressure for a skateboard park in Richmond.

A 13-year-old boy was still seriously ill in hospital in Middlesbrough yesterday after plunging 20ft through a skylight at Colburn Primary School.

He was among a group of children using the roof for stunts on Saturday, suffering head injuries as he fell into the kitchen.

However, even after the accident, police confirmed there were further complaints that youngsters had returned to the school and were once more on the roof.

Richmondshire District Council rejected a bid for a skateboarding arena in Ronaldshay Park last month.

Although planners supported the principle of proper facilities being provided for the sport, opponents claimed the chosen site was too close to homes and would mean relocating a five-a-side football pitch, also established by public demand.

The Richmond branch of the YMCA, which has agreed to front applications for grants to cover the cost of the scheme, has since confirmed it is to appeal against the decision. Even the local authority's leisure officials have added their weight to the campaign for a change of heart.

However, the accident on Saturday has underlined the lack of proper facilities in the area.

"Anybody concerned about youngsters and their safety would like to see them with proper facilities," said town and district councillor and former mayor John Harris yesterday.

"Children will often try things which adults would consider dangerous.

"The ideal would be a properly supervised skatepark and continued education about public safety,'' he said.

The headteacher of Colburn Primary School, Graham Else, agreed that a skatepark could help to limit the potential for trouble.

He said: "CCTV has helped keep the number of incidents of trespass and vandalism at the school to a minimum over the past four years.

"However, we have noticed an increase in both over recent months and, although I support the principle of a skateboarding facility, it would need to be in Colburn if it was to have any impact on the problems we have here."