A HOMELESS teenager has spoken of the moment he faced death when he was almost crushed in the jaws of a rubbish compressor.

Lee Verdon, 18, had been living rough on the streets of Blackburn when he spent the night in a rubbish skip at the back of King George's Hall.

He was almost killed when his temporary shelter was hoisted into the air by a skip collection cart, and the rubbish and Lee were emptied into the back of it.

Lee narrowly escaped being crushed by the hydraulic compressor which pushes the rubbish to the back of the cart.

He managed to push his way to the top of the rubbish and attract the attention of a passer-by, who alerted the driver of the cart.

He suffered crushing injuries and severe bruising around his waist, and is still recovering today in hospital.

Speaking from his bed in Blackburn Royal Infirmary, and close to tears, he said: "It was horrible but at the time I didn't really have time to be frightened. I just wanted to get out of there.

"But now I keep thinking about it and I know I would have died if I hadn't got out.

"I have been homeless for about a year but I usually stay in a hostel or at the Nightsafe shelter in Blackburn.

"I have applied for a flat and the council said I would have to wait for four weeks. I only had a week to go when I slept in the skip.

"It wasn't very dirty inside, it was mostly full of cardboard and bags. "When I got in I didn't think I would fall asleep but I did and the next thing I knew the skip was moving and I could hear the noise of the machinery. I tried to cling on and stay inside the skip but it was tipped upside down and I was dumped in the back of the cart.

"I knew I had to get out so I started climbing up on top of the rubbish.

"Then the compressor started and the walls started closing in.

"I got to the top but I couldn't get out and then the roof began to close around my waist.

"It was pushing together around the middle of my body and I could feel my spine being crushed.

"I was screaming for help but the driver couldn't hear.

"Then a man who was passing saw me and he jumped up and wedged his foot against the roof to stop it closing tighter around me.

"I was grabbing hold of his leg screaming for him to get me out.

"It seemed to take ages before the machine stopped.

"Luckily it didn't break my back but it did cause really deep bruising all around my body."

Now Lee, who is originally from Colne and a former Primet High School pupil, is hoping to start a new life in a flat in Blackburn.

He said: "I left home because I wasn't getting on with my mum, but she has always said I can go back there.

"But I need to be independent now and I hope to get my own flat and go to college and get trained in painting and decorating.

"I hope my story makes people realise what is happening to young homeless people. There were no opportunities for me in Colne and I did get in trouble with the police.

"That is how I ended up leaving home, living rough and nearly getting killed."

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