A SCHOOLBOY lost a thumb and sustained facial burns and a broken arm when a firework went off in his hand.

The 11-year-old, who has not been named, is undergoing treatment at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, following the accident in the Redcar area on Sunday.

It is understood the child was playing in the street when he picked up the lit firework.

Safety campaigner Pearl Hall, 83, from South Bank, Middlesbrough, said she was ready to repeat her lobby of Parliament two years ago, when she asked MPs to ban fireworks in shops.

She said: "This has got to stop now, it's a slaughter.

"I am hearing of accidents every day. It's not just our area where children are getting injured. I am quite prepared to go down to the Commons again."

Superintendent Ian Richards, of Cleveland Police, said: "This little lad has some horrific injuries, all of which could have been avoided by not playing with fireworks.

"We and our medical colleagues sincerely hope we don't see a repetition of this tragic incident and urge parents to drive home the firework safety message.

"We need mums and dads to know where their children are and what they are getting up to, to see no one gets hurt."

News of the accident came the same day Cleveland Police revealed they have served their first fixed-penalty fine on a 19-year-old Hartlepool man for throwing fireworks from a car.

Officers saw the teenager throw a firework from a vehicle in the Tesco car park in Hartlepool.

They served him with an £80 fixed-penalty ticket and he has 21 days in which to pay at a magistrates' court.

A spokeswoman for the force said they hoped the notice would act as a warning to others. She said officers would not hesitate to use new powers available to them.

The new laws prevent under-18s possessing fireworks, and ban fireworks being set off from 11pm to 7am.