A WOMAN was seriously injured when she plunged 30ft off a railway bridge into the path of a train.

The 33-year-old from Bolton suffered spinal, leg and head injuries in the incident on a railway line behind Canon Slade School, in Oaks Lane, Bradshaw.

The train driver saw her fall and managed to stop the train just yards from where the woman landed on the track. Fortunately, the driver had been travelling at just 15mph on the approach to Hall i'th' Wood station.

He used his cab radio to raise the alarm and call police and ambulance paramedics to the scene. Paramedics put the woman on the train which then travelled to Hall i' th' Wood Station to the waiting ambulance.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances.

The incident happened at 5.45pm last night. A witness said: "There were an awful lot of people watching what was happening. It was awful. Lots of children were playing football on the pitches at the time. I think many of them saw what was going on as well and it was not a very nice sight."

The bridge, over a stretch of the Clitheroe to Manchester line, is just yards from football pitches off Oaks Lane.

An Ambulance Service spokesman said: "When we got to the scene we could not get across to the track.

"We walked to the scene from a nearby road. The officer at the scene decided it would be best to put her back on to the train and take her to the nearest station.

"She had spinal injuries and multiple fractures."