A 16-year-old boy has been barred by a High Court judge from travelling abroad due to fears he may go to Syria.

Mr Justice Hayden said he was concerned to "keep this lad alive" and granted the application from Brighton and Hove City Council to make him a ward of court.

Local authority social services staff raised fears the teenager could travel to the war-torn country, to where several British teenagers have travelled to fight in recent months.

The Family Division of the High Court in London heard council staff had learned that family members were making plans for the teenager to go on a trip to Dubai during the Easter holiday.

Making the ruling today (Tuesday), Justice Hayden said he had balanced the teenager's human rights and added: "The balance falls clearly in protecting this young man, ultimately from himself."

He added: “(The teenager) is a vulnerable young person,” [...] “He has grown up in modern Britain in an extraordinary family - a family where the male members are patently committed to waging Jihad.”

As a ward of court the youngster is under the protection of a judge and may not be removed from England and Wales without the court's permission.

Lawyers said it was thought to be the first time a family court judge had been asked to take such an approach to prevent a boy going to fight in Syria.

The judge was told the teenager lived with his mother and there were concerns that she was unable to place "proper boundaries" around him.

He said the council had considered asking for the teenager to be taken into care. But given the boy's age, staff thought making him a ward of court would be a better option.

Wardship means the High Court can order anyone to tell it of the child's whereabouts and to disobey would be deemed contempt of court.

A council spokeswoman said it would not “hesitate to use all legal powers at our disposal to ensure vulnerable children are protected”.

She added: “We always work first and foremost with the families of vulnerable children to try and achieve positive outcomes for their children and ensure they are safe.

“We only ask courts to use their powers to invoke further protection measures where we believe it is the best or only way to give children the protection they need in what are, in some cases, very difficult circumstances.

“The radicalisation of children that leads to risks to their safety is a child protection issue.”