TWO 10-year-old boys were taken to hospital suffering from burns after they touched overhead power cables while climbing a tree.

The pair were found on the ground below the tree in Harvel Road, Vigo, near Gravesend.

One of the boys suffered serious burns to his hands, leg and face. He was transferred from the Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford to the East Grinstead Hospital in West Sussex but has now been allowed home. The other boy suffered minor burns.

Dr John Thurston, the clinical director of emergency services at Darent Valley Hospital, said: "The two boys are very lucky to be alive. They could have been killed instantly when they touched the cables. Fortunately the shock threw them away from the tree."

Both boys live in Vigo. Witnesses to the incident are asked to telephone police on 01322 283111.