A woman was run over by a vintage tractor as she tried to save a young boy who managed to start the vehicle at a family fun day.

The woman, who is thought to be the child's mother, was taken to hospital but is understood to have since been discharged.

The drama unfolded on Saturday afternoon at Wroxham Barns which was hosting a ‘Meet the Farmer’ weekend, featuring farming displays, vintage machinery and strawberry picking.

A boy sitting in one of the display tractors, a 1954 Fordson Major, was able to start the engine and it began to reverse towards parked cars.

As horrified visitors looked on, the woman leapt into action to remove the child from danger.

However, she fell to the ground and was run over by the vehicle’s front wheels.

The boy was unhurt and the tractor came to a halt after crashing with parked cars.

Paramedics were called to the venue, near Hoveton, and the woman was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by ambulance.

The organisers of the event claim the owners of all of the vintage tractors on display had reassured them that keys would not be in any of the vehicles. 

However, an investigation is now under way to find out what caused the tractor’s engine to turn on, as the keys are not believed to have been in the machine at the time.

The vehicle was removed from the field later that afternoon, but the two-day event continued, with organisers taking no further chances by disconnecting the batteries of the remaining tractors.

The woman, who is believed to have since left hospital after receiving treatment, said: "I had said [to the child] 'don't touch anything' and whatever he'd touched started the engine.

"It just started reversing, and because it then went at an angle it knocked me down and the tyre went over my leg.

"The only thing that stopped it was the fact it hit two cars. The owner says he didn't know it would start. It's just horrific."

Simon Gorton, owner of the tractor, said: “I was standing next to the machine when it started up in gear and went backwards.

“It was stopped by two cars behind us, and I switched off the ignition to stop it going any further. As soon as I found out what had happened I disconnected the battery so it couldn’t move again."

Mr Gorton, who is also a governor responsible for health and safety at Gresham’s school in Holt, added: “I’ve spoken to someone already about having an isolator switch put on so it can never happen again.

“I don’t know how it happened. The tractor was reconditioned in 2016, so the wiring and pipe work was done, and it was all checked to make sure it was working properly.

“I heard the engine rev and it started on maximum revs because someone had put the throttle lever on maximum. It started in gear so it went backwards.

“There was a child in the cab when I saw the tractor going backwards and I knew it had to be stopped.

“I stopped it but when I turned round I saw the woman lying on the floor and she said it had run over her leg.

A spokesman for Wroxham Barns said: "The event was organised by Wroxham Barns and the Wroxham Bure Valley Rotary Club with all proceeds going to the Norfolk and Norwich SEND Association (Nansa) and The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

"The Rotary Club and Wroxham Barns are taking every care and are reviewing all operational matters to ensure visitors of the event will be safe.”