A BOY on a day trip to an island off the Furness coast sparked a full scale rescue operation after suffering a serious injury.

The 11-year-old was on Piel Island with his family on Sunday when he fell and broke his leg.

RNLI lifeboat crews were called to the scene along with a rescue helicopter due to the nature of the injury.

A spokesman for the charity said: "The request to launch the lifeboat came from HM Coastguard at Holyhead at 2.01pm, stating that an 11-year-old boy had been on Piel Island with his parents when he had fallen and suffered a broken lower leg.

"Arrangements had been made by Holyhead Coastguard to have the boy evacuated to hospital by helicopter."

Barrow's inshore lifeboat crew were paged and the Vision of Tamworth was launched just 10 minutes later at 2.21pm, with Dave Kell, Andy Baxter, Ben Jackson and Adam Cleasby on board.

They made their way to the island where three crew were put ashore to help stabilise the boy.

The lifeboat returned to the lifeboat station where four members of the Furness Coastguard team were waiting to be taken to the island.

Having been transported to the island the coastguard team made the area safe and prepared an spot for the Caernavon-based Helicopter 936 to land.

The helicopter's paramedic examined the patient and, with help from the coastguard team the casualty, was loaded onto the aircraft and flown to Furness General Hospital for treatment to his leg.

The lifeboat returned all staff to the mainland and was rehoused by 3.05pm.

Barrow's lifeboat station has been operating since 1864.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea and volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the UK and Republic of Ireland from 236 lifeboat stations.