A SCHOOLBOY died from an allergic reaction to a single sweet he had popped into his mouth in the family shop.

Nine-year-old Mohsen Hussain struggled for breath after his nut allergy was triggered by the treat he picked up at the grocery store in Brotton near Middlesbrough.

Mohsen, who also suffered from asthma, immediately realised the sweet contained some form of nut and cried out to his dad Asif.

"He spat it out straight away and said he was having difficulty breathing," said Asif, 34.

"We never had an inkling that something could become so serious in just a few minutes."

His father rushed him to East Cleveland Hospital in Brotton just after 6pm on Monday and Mohsen was transferred immediately to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

But when they arrived, despite the efforts of the medical team, they were given the grim news that there was nothing more that could be done for the Breckon Hill Primary School pupil.

Full story and picture in tomorrow's Northern Echo