THE mother of an eight-year-old boy who was dragged 50 yards along a rail track and into a tunnel after getting his finger stuck in the doors of a Metro train, has told how he was lucky to be alive.

Lee Hildreth was travelling from a Metro station near his home at Meadow Well, North Tyneside, to nearby North Shields, with a friend, when the accident happened.

After the boys got off at North Shields station, Lee's friend, Stuart Hunter, jumped back on. However, when Lee tried to follow, he got his hand stuck in the side of the door.

His mother, Susan Brown, said the train pulled away, dragging Lee into a tunnel, where he fell free.

He was picked up by a worker and rushed to hospital, where he was treated for leg, back and minor head injuries.

Lee was recovering at his home in Wantage Avenue, Meadow Well, yesterday, where he lives with his mother and 13-year-old brother, Steven.

Lee said: "I got a really bad fright. My finger was stuck and I was just being dragged along the ground. It was horrible.

"All I could hear were the wheels clattering - I thought they were going to run over my head. I thought I wasn't going to see my mum again.

"The next thing I remember is a man lifting me up and carrying me back to the platform and people around me giving me their coats."

His mother said: "I'm just so relieved he is alive."

Metro operator Nexus is investigating the incident and has taken the two-carriage train out of service.

Spokesman Stephen McCurry urged parents to be more vigilant.

"It is a dangerous place for children to play around. It is not a playground," he said.