A man who was playing war games in a wood had to be rushed to hospital after being impaled on a metal spike.

The victim was jumping over logs and branches carrying a plastic toy gun when he fell and landed on a metal stake that was stuck in the ground.

The man was gored through the knee and left unable to move.

His friends called 999 and both West Sussex Fire and Rescue and paramedics attended the scene of the incident in woodland in Patching, near Worthing, at about 1pm yesterday afternoon.

Heavy rescue equipment from the fire service was used to cut the spike on both sides but medics judged it was best to leave the spike in his leg instead of trying to remove it.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital.

Yesterday South East Coast Ambulance Service were unavailable to comment on the severity of the injury.

A spokesman from the fire service said: “He was playing a game with his friends in the woods, pretending to be soldiers with toy guns. He jumped over a log, rolled and ended up with a metal spike through his knee.

“It was decided that the metal spike should stay there until he was in hospital. It could have been a lot worse, it could have hit an artery or his head and he could have died.”

Just over a month ago a cyclist was impaled through his chest by a branch as he cycled down a road in Pulborough.