Horror as youngster's fingers are trapped in supermarket travelator

The youngster's hand was stuck inside the moving walkway at Sainsbury's in Talbot Road, Blackpool town centre, for around 50 minutes as firefighters worked to free her, a spokesman for Blackpool Fire Station said.

She was taken by paramedics to Blackpool Airport, where she was flown to Alder Hey in Merseyside for specialist treatment, he added.

He said crews were called out alongside the ambulance service at around 1.50pm today, and had to take the machine apart in order to release the child.

One horrified shopper described seeing the emergency services parked outside the store, and said: "You could hear the girl's screams all round the store. It was horrible; the poor thing. They had to sedate her."

The travelator is used by shoppers to get to the store from the first and second storey car park, and features an audible warning telling customers to stand still while they're using it.

The girl was trapped near to the top on the travelator moving upwards from the store to the first floor car park, it is understood, but the extent of her injuries are not yet known.

The walkway was still out of use at 4.30pm, though staff were seen working on it, and the store was open for business.

Sainsbury's has pledged to investigate the incident.