A foolhardy reveller impaled herself on a spiked fence while attempting to pull down a giant England flag from a house.

The 28-year-old had climbed an 8ft wall to reach the giant flag, but lost her footing and fell on to a spiked fence below.

One of the metal spikes went straight through the Queensbury woman's arm and firefighters had to cut away a section of the fence so the woman could be taken to hospital without losing more blood.

She was trapped for 30 minutes and was given pain relief at the scene by ambulance crews before firefighters used battery-operated saws to free her.

Today, the concerned householder said she was stunned that a passer-by had attempted to climb up and remove the St George's Cross.

Barbara Tattersley said: "She could have been killed - all for the sake of a flag.

"I never thought anyone would try to climb up there to try to take the flag. I don't know what possessed her. I think there was some drink involved.

"If she was that desperate for a flag, she should have just knocked at the door and I would probably have let her have it."

Mrs Tattersley said she had been washing up in the kitchen when she heard the commotion.

She said: "I heard a lot of noise, saw the flashing lights and went outside.

"She looked in agony and it took them a while to get her off. She had pulled down the big flag from the veranda but had obviously lost her balance as she did it."

Watch Manager Patrick Rivers, of Halifax Fire Station, said: "The spike had pierced her bicep and had come out six inches on the other side.

"We had to cut a section of railing out using two battery-operated saws.

"We couldn't just pull her off the spike because of the bleeding, so we had to do the cutting before she could be transported to hospital. The cutting took about 15 minutes.

"She had been trying to retrieve a flag from the corner of a house. She had stood on a wall about 8ft high and she fell backwards.

"As she fell, there were some metal railings down on her left hand side. The spikes were about 18 inches high and the top section pierced her arm.

"When we got there, a number of her friends were trying to hold her up because she was perched on the corner of the wall."

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service said: "She had slipped on to some railings and it had gone through her arm. She was trapped for 30 minutes.

"The patient was given pain relief and treated at the scene."

The woman, who has not been named, was taken to Calderdale Royal Hospital.

Firefighters from Halifax, Illingworth and Elland attended the accident in Boothtown Road, Boothtown, Halifax, at about 9.30pm on Sunday.