A 10-YEAR-OLD boy is still fighting for his life in hospital after the car he was in was hit by a train at a Suffolk level crossing.The boy suffered life-threatening head injuries following the crash at the crossing at Barnby, near Beccles, on Saturday.

A 10-YEAR-OLD boy is still fighting for his life in hospital after the car he was in was hit by a train at a Suffolk level crossing.

The boy suffered life-threatening head injuries following the crash at the crossing at Barnby, near Beccles, on Saturday.

The car was being driven by a farmer, named locally as Richard Wright, and the boy is believed to be his grandson, named locally as James How.

The boy was taken to the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston and has since been transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokeswoman described his condition on Monday evening as stable but potentially life-threatening.

The car he was in was struck by the 7.02pm Ipswich to Lowestoft train operated by National Express East Anglia which was carrying 60 passengers. No one else was injured.

The crash happened at about 8.30pm at a level crossing known as the Gamekeepers or T19 crossing at Beccles Road. It is one of several in the village. It is described as an occupational crossing, meaning that people wishing to cross it have to ring through in advance and are responsible for unlocking and locking it themselves.

The circumstances surrounding the crash are being investigated by BTP and they have appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.

Ian Hinton, vice-chairman of Barnby Parish Council, said that Mr Wright had used the crossing for decades.

'It is a private crossing only used by that particular farmer and goes from his land to his land,' he said. 'He has been using it for 40 or 50 years.'

Mr Hinton said the parish council would not be calling for safety improvements at the site.

'There are four or five crossings and they are all operated in the same way and everybody respects them,' he said. 'We are obviously concerned about the boy and his family from a personal point of view, but it is certainly not a concern as far as the people of the parish are concerned as nobody else uses that crossing and those that do fully understand what they have to do.'

Anyone with information on the collision should call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.