MICHAEL Bowey is like any other eight-year-old boy who loves swimming and splashing about in the water.

But until recently, a trip to the baths could have killed the pupil from Brandon, Durham.

He suffers from primary pulmonary hypertension and has to wear a device to pump drugs into his body.

If it gets wet, it could give an electric shock that could kill him. But parents of children at his school, Browney Primary, have had a whipround to buy him a drysuit.

They raised £468 and his mother, Carrie Johnson, said he was delighted.

She said: "He absolutely loves it and is over the moon.

"The only thing he wants to do is go swimming.

"When it was hot, he was left out because all of his friends wanted to go swimming and he was broken-hearted.

"Now we can take him to the swimming pool every weekend."

She added that she went to see him at his first swimming lesson in the suit, and said: "When he climbed into the pool, his classmates cheered and clapped as they were so happy to have him there and the smile on Michael's face will stay with me forever."