AN 11-year-old boy was left bruised and bloodied after being hit in the face by a professional stunt kite.

Dominic Berka was hit by the large kite while he played with friends on Eatock Lodge, off the Hoskers, Westhoughton.

Although the kite's owner, a man in his 30s, ran over to the injured youngster, he told Dominic, of Littlegate, Daisy Hill, that the collision was his fault before walking off.

The Westhoughton High School pupil was rushed to Royal Bolton Hospital by his mother, Paula Robinson, where doctors treated a cut to the bridge of his nose and said the kite would have caused certain blindness if it had hit him in either eye and could have fractured his skull.

Police are now investigating the incident.

Mrs Robinson today called for the man, or any of the three other adults who were accompanying him, to come forward and apologise.

She said: "I can't believe that someone would leave a young lad lying bleeding on the floor and just walk off. It's disgusting behaviour.

"This is obviously a danger if it can leave people needing hospital treatment. This could have left Dom in a much worse state if it had hit him in the eye.

"Hopefully, this will make people realise that they need to be a bit more careful when kids are around and we would like to hear from this man with an apology."

The youngster is still absent from school with his injuries which have affected his eyesight. The incident happened on Sunday.

Pc Tony Casey of Westhoughton Police said: "The area is quite open and unfortunately we don't have any control over the wind.

"But it shows that it is very important that people are careful around kites when they are flying them or playing near them."