TWO young children remained in hospital today with serious head and leg injuries after a wall collapsed on top of them following Storm Imogen.

The children aged four and seven were walking through the village of Bretforton yesterday morning when a section of the 10ft high wall collapsed.

Passers-by rushed to help dig them out from where they were trapped beneath the rubble.

The children were treated by paramedics before being taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The four-year-old boy was flown by air ambulance with serious leg and back injuries.

The seven-year-old girl was taken by road with serious leg and facial injuries.

They had been walking along the main road near the junction of New Street and Honeybourne Road when the wall, surrounding the privately owned Bretforton Hall came down.

The wall collapsed following high winds and heavy rain brought by Storm Imogen on Sunday night.

It had been inspected by a builder recently following a complaint, but had been deemed safe until repair work could be carried out.

A passing lorry driver told how he held the girl's hand while they waited for emergency services to arrive. He praised the quick actions of another passer-by who dug the children out from beneath the rubble.

Firefighters searched under the collapsed wall for other casualties after being called to the village, near Evesham, just before 9am.

Two fire engines from Evesham, including the station commander, were at the scene along with the heavy rescue unit from Droitwich.

Station commander Steve Fox said: "All of the emergency services worked closely together to swiftly rescue and treat the children, who were then promptly transferred to hospital via air ambulance to give them the best possible care."

West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Mercia Police, Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance also attended.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: "Passersby had pulled the children from the debris before ambulance crews arrived.

"The boy had leg and back injuries and was flown by the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

"The girl who had leg and facial injuries was taken to the same hospital by land ambulance."

Jack Hegarty, managing director of Wychavon District Council, said the owner of the wall had been advised on Tuesday, January 26, to carry out repair work.

"First and foremost our thoughts are with the two children and their families involved in this incident and we wish them a speedy recovery," he said.

"I can confirm a complaint was made to us about the condition of the wall on 22 January, 2016.

"An officer from building control visited the site three days later and the owner was advised on 26 January to carry out work to repair the wall as well as a safety inspection to ensure it posed no immediate risk to the public.

"The owner informed us on 1 February a specialist in dry stone walling had inspected the wall and confirmed there was no immediate danger to the public and repair work would be carried out as soon as the weather improved.

"We take this matter seriously and will review the case to ensure there was nothing more we could have done."

Lloyd Tredell, who owns Bretforton Hall, said: "It is very sad. It is terrible. It shocked me to the core. We have got children of our own.

"It [the wall] has been leaning over. We have plans to rebuild it.

"I have been fully liaising with the chap from the council over the last few months about getting it rebuilt.

"The lorries have caused the problem, that road is so busy now. They have caused the wall to deteriorate but obviously the storm and winds has brought it down.

"We looked at it a few weeks ago and there was no cracking. We would never expect it to be blown over."

Nigel London, aged 60, who lives on Grass Close, near to the fallen wall, said: "We saw the air ambulance come in.

"That wall has been leaning over for a long time. It wasn't just a bit, it was a lot. With all the trucks going round there, they go round so fast and with the vibrations that can't have helped.

"It is a very old wall."