A TEENAGER has been paralysed from the neck down in a freak accident, while trying to keep cool during the weekend heatwave.

Dale Milne, 14, dived into a wave while playing with friends in the sea at Whitby and cracked his head on the seabed.

He was, knocked unconscious but alert lifeguards rescued him from the water and carried him back to the crowded beach.

An air ambulance landed on the sand and airlifted the stricken youngster to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough - where he as found to have fractured two of the bones in his neck.

Yesterday, his condition was described as stable and his mother, Louise, was at his bedside.

"He is paralysed from the chest down," she said.

"At the moment it is looking permanent, but it depends on what the surgeons and neurosurgeons decide to do.

"Whether they decide to operate, we'll will just have to wait and see."

She added: "He is conscious and talking and quite cheerful. He is holding us all together."

When the accident happened on Sunday, Dale - who will be 15 next weekend - was with his girlfriend Jessica Roe Humble and friends Tanya Pervis and Rebecca Shields.

Jessica saw the accident happen. She suffered shock and has since had to be sedated after being unable to sleep and vomiting constantly.

Her grandmother Christine Humble said: "She has not been sleeping or eating. She's in total shock, we all are, he is such a good little lad.

"It doesn't look very good for him at the moment, I'm afraid. They told his mum it depends on what the surgeons can do, but it looks like he'll be paralysed permanently.

"He is talking a bit but he is not fully aware of the extent of his injuries."

She added: "He is Jessica's first serious boyfriend. They think a lot of each other.

"They are very happy together and it's really affected Jessica."

Dale's head teacher at Whitby Community College, Keith Prytherch, said: "It goes without saying that absolutely all of the people who know Dale will say that he is a lovely, lovely lad, very caring.

"He is everything we would want in a school like ours. The whole school community is devastated."

He added: "We're still looking forward to him coming back. But we have to wait and see what he is able to do and what the family want. We will help him in any way we can to continue to study here."