A mum was left heartbroken after her daughter lost six fingers in a freak fly-tipping accident.
Kerry Ratcliffe’s daughter Bella, then aged eight, suffered the life-changing injuries in April as she played in an alleyway behind her home in Salford, Greater Manchester.
The mum-of-five said her young girl was 'making a den' out of various objects strewn around the area when she stood on a table, which began to give way.
But Kerry said Bella lost her fingers when she tried to grab onto a fence to break her fall.
Her daughter then spent 12 hours in surgery, but medics were sadly unable to reattach her fingers, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Recalling the terrifying scene, Kerry said: "It’s heartbreaking,
“We heard screaming and a neighbour ran over and then my son pushed me back inside and said ‘she has got no fingers’, then I collapsed.
“She was in Wythenshawe Hospital. She was in surgery for 12 hours to reattach. It did not go to plan.”
While Bella, now aged nine, is now 'adapting really well' and has since returned to school in what Kerry described as ‘massive step'. The mum-of-five said she's "still at a loss" as to what happened that day.
Since the accident, Kerry has moved her family to another area of Salford to be closer to her family.
She also said that Bella will one day have a prosthetic hand - but until then is calling on the local authority to make sure this never happens to another child.
Kerry wants to make sure the alleyway — which neighbours claim is ‘hot spot for fly-tipping’ — is secured, and said: "There’s a private entrance with iron gates.
“They told us that they had cut off the locks. Then it became a hotspot for fly tipping.
“The gates are always open. The neighbours said they have complained about them for years.”
Salford Council told M.E.N that the land is owned by ForHousing, a housing association.
The organisation's executive director of homes said that the organisation was ‘extremely sorry’ to hear about Bella’s accident, writing in a statement: "The security fence at the rear of the homes at Kestrel Avenue was put in place several years ago after local neighbours raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping in the area.
"In April, a neighbour reported that this incident had taken place, and we immediately visited the site to make it safe. We will continue to offer support and work with the local community."
