A SCHOOLBOY skateboarder suffered a badly broken arm as he fled supermarket staff hurling eggs.

Josh Morris claimed the shopworkers carried on pelting him even as he lay on the ground in agony.

He later underwent two hours of emergency surgery and had metal plates inserted.

Two workers at Safeway - which discourages skateboarding on its car parks - have been suspended.

Josh, 14, fell off his board at Safeway in Chorlton, Manchester, when workers chased him off. He admitted throwing plastic bottles as the shopworkers hurled eggs and rubbish at him.

Screams

Josh said a bone was protruding through his flesh. ''I was lying on the ground screaming for an ambulance to be called but two of them threw eggs at me when I was lying there.''

But despite that, Josh can't wait to get back on his skateboard. ''It's the only sport I like. It gives me a real sense of accomplishment,'' he said.

His mum, Rachel Morris, complained to Safeway and said the manager of the shop had been courteous and immediately suspended the workers alleged to have been involved.

A Safeway spokesman said: ''Because it is under investigation I am not in a position to comment on this specific incident. We do try to discourage skateboarding in car parks both for the safety of our customers and the skaters.''

She said that at the Chorlton store security guards had asked skaters to leave the car park on more than 70 occasions over the past few months.

Despite the fact that Josh has two permanent 41/2in scars on his arm, his mum still supports his skateboarding as long as he wears wrist guards.

And she hit out at Manchester councillors' plans to make skateboarding illegal in the city centre.

She said they should provide facilities for boarders, rather than make teenagers potential criminals.

''Josh is quite a good academic student and excellent at art and he would never have played sports. He was one of those children you couldn't pull away from the T.V.

''It wasn't until the skateboard came along that he had passion for something physical. It has changed him - and it's been a good change.''

What do you think? Should skateboarding be banned in the city centre? Email us with your views at www.manchesteronline.co.uk

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