Teenager fighting for his life after falling ill at Merry Hill shopping centre

Emergency crews rushed to the Brierley Hill retail complex after reports of a medical emergency, where they found the teenager.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said the youngster needed "advanced life support" before being taken Dudley's Russell Hall Hospital in a critical condition.

A spokesperson said: "We were called to a medical emergency in a car park, at Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Brierley Hill at 1.20pm this afternoon.

"Three ambulances, two paramedic officers, a critical care paramedic and the West Midlands CARE team medics responded to the scene.

"Crews arrived and commenced advanced life support on a teenage boy on scene before he was conveyed by land ambulance on blue lights to Russells Hall Hospital in a critical condition."

Eye witnesses have reported seeing emergency services - including a number of police cars and ambulances at the shopping centre.

A spokesperson for Merry Hill said: "This afternoon a visitor suffered an isolated medical emergency in one of the car parks at the centre. Our security team first aiders immediately sought to provide assistance while paramedics were en-route.

"The individual was subsequently transferred to hospital and our thoughts are with their friends and family at this extremely difficult time.”

A shopper, who did not want to be named, said: "We were coming by earlier and saw the ambulances, but we didn't know what was going on until now.

"It's awful news to hear about and all my thoughts are with the poor boy's family."

Another said: "I saw about five ambulances and about four paramedics around him, giving him heart compressions. I'm a bit shaken by it, but I can only praise the ambulance staff as they did everything they could."

The road leading to the car park was closed to allow the emergency teams to work.