POLICE are investigation an explosion in a schoolyard which seriously injured a teenager.

The 15-year-old boy suffered burns to his body, head, arms and legs, as well as a fractured skull, when a skip exploded at Harelaw Special School, Harelaw, County Durham, on Wednesday night.

He was rushed to Dryburn Hospital in Durham City before being transferred to Newcastle General Hospital, where he was described as seriously ill last night, although his condition is described as not life threatening.

A police spokesman said: "The victim is thought to have been one of two local teenagers who were in the rear yard of the school when the explosion occurred.

"He is believed to have been caught by the blast which flung open the solid and padlocked doors of a skip.

"Police officers called to the scene climbed fencing to gain access to the premises and rendered first aid to the victim, who was barely conscious."

He said investigators were considering the possibility that the explosion was the result of petrol or some other accellerant being poured into the skip.

The second boy attended Stanley police station voluntarily to give information on the incident.