A nine-year-old Eastbourne boy suffered mystery chemical burns to his hands while playing football with his friends.

The youngster's hands were bandaged last night after they suddenly broke out in painful blisters.

He was playing football with four friends on a field between Croxden Way and Maywood Avenue, in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, when the blisters erupted.

He was taken to the town's District General Hospital for treatment and was later discharged.

The youngster and his family had only moved into the area that day.

The boy's father later called firefighters and Eastbourne's specialist chemical team checked the area in a bid to find out what caused the blistering.

But despite searching for more than an hour, fire officials drew a blank.

Leading Firefighter Bob Newton, of Eastbourne fire station, said: "The blisters broke out on the palm of his hands, which suggests he may have picked up the chemicals from the football. But at the moment we have no idea what those chemicals were."